WWUTT 924 The Lord's Blessing On His People?

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The Psalms were songs that were sung by Israel, the

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Psalter, it's kind of like their hymnbook. And in these Psalms we have many great promises of God for His people when we understand the text.

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You are listening to When We Understand the Text, an online Bible ministry so that we may know all the riches freely given to us by God.

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For questions and comments, send us an email to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com.

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Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. We come back to our study of the Psalms.

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Only went through Psalm 1 last week. We invested our entire 20 minutes into the very first Psalm.

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But today I think we'll knock out a few more. Let's begin with Psalm 2. I'll go ahead and read through the whole thing and then we'll come back and look at the text.

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Psalm 2, starting in verse 1. Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

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The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the

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Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.

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He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Then He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His fury, saying,

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As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. I will tell of the decree.

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The Lord said to me, You are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession.

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You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

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Now therefore, O kings, be wise. Be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the

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Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.

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Blessed are all who take refuge in him. So this is very much a royal psalm, and even though the psalm is not attributed to David, it's pretty clear that that's who's writing it, because we have that first person account in verse seven.

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I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, You are my son. Today I have begotten you.

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Who was it that the Lord said that to? He said that to David. It's in Second Samuel, chapter seven, verse 14, which is that exact statement.

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When God makes his covenant with David, that on his throne, he will establish his kingdom forever.

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Now, we know that this is prophetic, and in Hebrews, chapter one, it references this verse, this exact verse,

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Psalm two, seven, and saying that it was prophetically referring to Christ.

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It's in Hebrews, chapter one, starting in verse three, where it says, After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

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For to which of the angels did God ever say, You are my son, today

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I have begotten you. So that reference back to Psalm two, seven. God first said it to David.

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David repeats it here in Psalm two. We see that it's prophetic concerning one who is going to be placed on the throne of David, and that is

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Jesus, who came from the line of David, who is sitting at the right hand of the throne of the father.

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And in this way, David's throne, his kingdom is established forever through one who has come from his line and is seated at the right hand of the father.

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So because we know that Psalm two, seven pertains to Christ, based on what is explained for us in Hebrews one, five, then you probably have in your

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Bible, the word son is capitalized capital S, because this is directly relating to Christ, not merely to David, but that David was even a type that was going to have one who was going to come

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Christ being the greater David. Let's come back to the start of the Psalm. Why do the nations rage and the people's plot in vain?

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The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the

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Lord and against his anointed. Now, of course, this was the nation's plotting against David and against Israel.

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But as we said, this pertains specifically to Christ and anointed in your

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Bible might be capitalized as well. The word there for anointed in Greek is actually

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Christ, the same word, and that word Christ means Messiah in Hebrew, the transliteration of the

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Hebrew word for Messiah is anointed in Greek. And so we have the anointed one being

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Christ. David was anointed. He was anointed by Samuel, but Christ was anointed by the father.

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And so this is Christ, the anointed one from the Lord and the nations that are plotting against him say, let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.

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In other words, this is as if the kings of the earth are saying, let's just get away from God. We'll be our own rulers.

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We'll be our own masters. And that's the way every single person is. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

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Every person in their sin has declared themselves to be God because they think that they know better than God.

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I know better than the creator of the universe. I can be my own God. And so here we see that the nations of the earth are, are therefore plotting in that same way.

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Let us cast off the bonds of God's rule over us and let us be our own God. And then verse four, he who sits in the heavens, laughs.

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God is not the least bit intimidated by our efforts to try to crown ourselves in the place of God, nor is

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God broken hearted by this. By the way, this tends to be the way that we will paint this picture of God as being somebody going,

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Oh, please love me. Please come to me, beckoning us to come to him and, and then when he, then when we don't choose

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God that he's sad and he's crying in heaven because there's so many people rejecting him. No, the

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Lord laughs. He sits in the heavens and laughs at the foolishness of men.

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You're not making God cry. On the contrary, he is going to destroy you because you have rebelled against God.

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And it is only by faith in Christ that we have fellowship with God. Apart from Christ, we're at enmity with God.

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We are enemies of God and we will be destroyed in our wickedness. But it is when you repent of your sin and you believe in the

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Lord Jesus Christ that you will be saved. And the Lord looks upon you with favor rather than with derision.

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The Lord holds them in derision. He makes fun of men who think that they can do their way just fine without God.

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Then he will speak to them in his wrath. That's how God will show himself to them and terrify them in his fury saying, as for me,

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I have said my King on Zion, my Holy Hill, and that is Christ. And Jesus Christ is the one who has been anointed by the father who is going to rule over the nations.

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And David says, I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, you are my son.

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But this is as if Christ is taking that first person seat and speaking of this himself and saying that the father has decreed to him, you are my son.

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Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage.

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To whom has the nations been given? Christ, the judge of all the nations. As we read in Matthew 25, and the ends of the earth will be your possession.

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You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

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In the book of Daniel, it says that Christ will rule with a rod of iron. It makes that same claim of him also in the book of Revelation.

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Verse 10, now, therefore, O Kings, be wise, be warned, O rulers of the earth.

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Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Come before Christ, bow before him before it's too late that you may have a reverent fear of him and know him and be saved.

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Kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way for his wrath is quickly kindled.

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Blessed are all who take refuge in him. We end this psalm the same way that we started

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Psalm 1. Psalm 1 started with blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, but his delight is in the law of the

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Lord. And here we conclude Psalm 2 with blessed are all who take refuge in him.

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How are we saved from the wrath of God? By faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, when we refer to ourselves as saved, when we call

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Christ our salvation, what has he saved us from? The wrath of God burning against all the unrighteousness of men.

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So believe in Christ and be saved. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

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Psalm 3, O Lord, how many are my foes? Many are rising against me.

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Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. But you,

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O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the

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Lord and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept. I woke again for the

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Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

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Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God, for you strike all my enemies on the cheek.

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You break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people.

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So obviously this is a little bit more grievous as David comes before the

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Lord, fleeing from Absalom. That's kind of the title at the psalm at the very top, a psalm of David.

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When he fled from Absalom, his son, O Lord, how many are my foes?

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He wasn't just running from Absalom, but Absalom even had some of David's servants on his side and some of the kingdom was following Absalom as well.

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For a period of time, David even had to flee his kingdom. So many are against David, the one whom

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God had anointed and said on your throne, I will establish my kingdom forever. So surely David in this moment is going,

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Lord, where is this promise that you have given to me that that all the nations would be blessed through the throne of David?

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This was a promise that God made of Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. I will make you into a great nation and through you, all the nations will be blessed, carried on down to David.

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The same was being said of him from your throne, all the nations will be blessed. And we know that is

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Christ who sits on that throne and all who believe in him from all the nations will receive the blessings of God through the son,

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Jesus Christ. So here in this moment is as David is in anguish over the betrayal of his own son and people who had once been loyal to him turning against him, he says, how many are my foes?

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Many are rising against me. Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.

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You think about the pursuit of somebody against their enemy and they say, there's no one to save him.

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We'll root him out. We'll strike him down. Okay. That was no doubt what Absalom was saying of David.

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And even though serving Absalom, we were going to look for David and bring David to Absalom so that Absalom could assume the throne of David.

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He could, he could take his father out. There were no, there was nobody standing against him from becoming king over Israel.

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If he could destroy his own father. And so Absalom no doubt saying something like, there's no salvation for him.

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We're going to find him eventually. And so you have this being said of everybody that was under Absalom.

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There's no salvation for this man. God is not going to deliver him because God is on our side.

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So this is causing anguish for David. Also that he's losing his own son in the midst of all of this.

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It's his own son that is wanting to strike David down. And unless his own son repents, then

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God will strike down Absalom. Verse three, but you, O Lord, are a shield about me.

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My glory and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the

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Lord and he answered me from his holy hill. God is not a deistic

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God who's out at the ends of the universe somewhere, who just kind of set all things in motion and doesn't interact with his creation.

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Here, David himself says that the Lord is a shield about me.

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He is here and he is protecting me even now. I cried aloud to the

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Lord and he answered me from his holy hill. God is holy. He is separated from us.

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We cannot see him because he's holy and we are not. We just had a stump the pastor night with our kids just last night,

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Wednesday night at our church. And one of the questions that the kids asked of me was, why can't we see

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God? And the answer that I gave to the girl who asked me this was because he's holy and we're not.

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There was a time when Adam and Eve got to interact with God, as it says in Genesis three in the cool of the day.

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But because of sin, we've been separated from God. We don't get to see God. But a day is coming.

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First John three, two, when we will see him as he is, because we will be made to be like him.

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For all those who have faith in Christ, the way that we are now, we would not be able to look at God and live.

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But there's a day that will be transformed and the, and what we're made into will be able to look upon the

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Lord and behold his glory and dwell with him forever. But in the meantime, he remains separated from us.

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He is on his holy hill and yet he's still not far from us. He will come to us when we call.

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And David says that here in this Psalm, I lay down and slept. I woke again for the

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Lord sustained to sustain me. How does he know that God is protecting him?

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Well, when I went to sleep last night, my enemy didn't strike me down. So I know that it is the Lord who is protecting me.

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Also, David knows that he can lay down and sleep in peace because the

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Lord has everything under control. That's actually at the end of the next Psalm, Psalm four in peace. I will both lie down and sleep for you alone.

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Oh Lord, make me dwell in safety. We'll get to that one here in a moment. Verse six, I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around a rise.

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Oh Lord, save me. Oh my God, for you strike all my enemies on the cheek.

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You break the teeth of the wicked salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people.

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Now, when David says arise, oh Lord, save me, oh my God, I'm going to be a little speculative here for a moment.

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This is just conjecture on my part. But I wonder if not only was David asking God to deliver him from his enemies, he was also asking

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God to deliver his enemy because who was his enemy, his own son. And he knows that the enemies of God will be broken.

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You strike all my enemies on the cheeks like punching him so hard. You break the teeth of the wicked, punching him in the face so hard, the teeth shatter.

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He knows that a strike from the Lord is that harsh. So when he says arise, oh

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Lord, and save me, oh my God, perhaps part of that prayer was save my son

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Absalom. For what grief would it bring my heart if you had to strike Absalom and destroy him?

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Regardless of the outcome, David knows that salvation belongs to the Lord and his blessing is going to be on his people.

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If that's not Absalom, then he is going to be wiped out with those who set themselves against the

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Lord's anointed. Psalm chapter four, starting in verse one, answer me when I call, oh

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God of my righteousness, you have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

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Oh men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?

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But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself. The Lord hears when

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I call to him. Be angry and do not sin. Ponder in your own hearts on your beds and be silent.

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Offer right sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, who will show us some good?

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Lift up the light of your face upon us, oh Lord. You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

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In peace, I will both lie down and sleep for you alone, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety.

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So this is again, David praying and he says, answer me when I call, oh God of my righteousness.

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David knows that the righteousness that he has is not a righteousness that is of himself, but it has been given to him by God who is gracious.

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You have given me relief when I was in distress, David says. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

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So these are even reminders for David. I know that you have delivered me before and I know that you will hear my prayer again.

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Oh men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?

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How long will you love glorifying yourself and you believe things that are contrary to the truth?

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It's in 2 Timothy 4, 3 that we read, for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.

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They'll listen to vain words. They'll turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths, listening to lies.

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And this was happening even in David's day of people turning from the truth, listening to vain words and seeking after lies.

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Verse three, but know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself.

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You think of Elijah praying to God and saying, Lord, I alone am left. There's no one else worshiping you.

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I'm the only, I'm the only guy that fears God and is seeking after you. And the

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Lord's response to Elijah was Elijah. I have kept for myself 7 ,000 men who have not bowed the knee to bail.

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God has kept them for himself. That's repeated again in Romans 11, four, by the way.

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So know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself. The Lord hears when

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I call to him. How does David know that? Because he's been set apart by God. He has been chosen by God.

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So he knows that God hears him. David says, be angry and do not sin, ponder in your own hearts on your beds and be silent.

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Be angry and do not sin. Where else have we heard that? And Paul quoted it exactly. Ephesians 4, 26, be angry and do not sin.

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He's quoting David. Do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity for the devil.

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In Romans chapter 12, do not take matters into your own hands for vengeance belongs to the

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Lord, but rather bless those who persecute you. David is saying, be angry and do not sin.

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Ponder in your own hearts on your own beds and be silent. You have sin that you need to take before God and he will forgive you.

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Offer right sacrifices. Put your trust in the Lord.

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Now, how does that verse pertain to us when we're not giving animal sacrifices anymore? Well, Romans 12, 1 says, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

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And this is your spiritual worship. There are many who say, who will show us some good?

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Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord. You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

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No doubt, whenever we have abundance, you're happy with that, right? When you have an abundance, you don't worry about debt.

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When God has blessed you with much, surely that's an exciting thing, but those things don't last.

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Eventually, the money is going to run out or eventually the stuff that made you happy today is going to be the stuff of tomorrow's garage sales, garbage dumps, trash heaps, you know?

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Stuff doesn't last. It all wastes away. Whenever we receive joy from God, it is an everlasting joy.

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There is no limit. There is no end to it. It is eternal, for our God is eternal.

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And this is something else that we find in Ephesians 5, by the way. Verse 18, do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit.

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So don't please yourself with things that only last for a time. Be filled with the spirit, which is eternal.

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So the pleasure and the joy that you have in your heart is from the eternal spirit of God.

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Verse 8, in peace, I will both lie down and sleep for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

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In other words, you can go to bed. The whole world is still going to be here because God is the one who sustains it and is holding all things together.

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You don't do that, so you don't have to worry about the world falling apart when you go to sleep. God will keep these things together and he will deliver you.

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We have already been delivered from our sins and the wages of sin, which is death. By faith in Christ, we've been delivered from these things.

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And so we know that whatever happens to us, God will deliver us even from death itself.

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Amen. Praise God. And we'll talk to you again tomorrow with our Q &A. Be sure to submit your questions to whenweunderstandatext at gmail .com.

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And my wife, Becky, God willing, will be joining me tomorrow. God bless. Gabriel Hughes is the pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, Kansas.