Studying The Psalms (part 3)

And gracious father we thank you lord for your word. We thank you for giving us all that we need for life and godliness in your truth. Help us. Oh lord this morning as we open your word to be instructed by you on the precious truths that you've given us in christ's name we pray all right.

So uh just to prepare our minds this morning let's think of one particular trial or one particular temptation that either someone is approaching you with asking for counsel or someone that you see maybe more like a matthew 18.

First step you see someone struggling in a particular area and you want to go and approach and talk to them or better still for yourself you're you're dealing with an area that's a struggle and you want to go to the scriptures and say what ought i to do now that i'm in this place.

What does what has god told me to do when i'm in this place. Uh we could pick a number of different um areas but let me just pick one just to get us started. And then we will cover others. Let's let's take anger.

Anger, Sin, and Identity in Christ

So let's say you are struggling with anger. What would you uh draw from the scriptures as god's counsel to deal with sinful anger. What does the bible say about it. Uh in your anger do not sin. Yes i think that's what i just said.

It's not simple to be angry. Yeah. But it's simple to act on that. Excellent. So anger by in and of itself need not be sinful. But what you do in a state of anger can be. And so the bible says don't sin.

I probably would start with praying. That's excellent. So that goes one step next which is the first step you want to do is while you're angry the first thing you want to do is what does the bible say specifically to this do not sin.

So if i'm tempted to respond in anger sinfully then i want to stop that. But the next step would be to go and examine why i'm angry. Or you know what is who am i in this context of my identity as a christian.

So peggy was saying you know i'm my identity is in christ i have been forgiven a lot. So if i'm angry specifically if you want to just raise your hands. So if if you know who you are one who is forgiven much and if your anger is directed towards someone who has maybe offended you you want to re-examine your motives for anger.

Say you know based on who i'm who i am is my anger even justified. To begin with how ought i to look at my brother. What else could be a source for anger. What i have what is it. Why else could we be angry.

Look more inwardly in a sinful way. What pride. Yes there was something else here. Yes bitterness. Yes. So you have something that's been stewing and then out of that comes a bruise feeling like you can't control the circumstances.

Like frustration sometimes because outside things are just changing so much. And then because i'm frustrated from accomplishing what i want i can get angry. That's that's very true covetousness. Yeah.

So if i want something and i don't get it want something sinfully and i don't get it then i can get angry as well. So yes discontent. And that's very very helpful going back to the identity in christ when i know that i have everything that god has given me and instead i look at it as i i deserve something more and i don't get it and that discontent can respond in anger.

So one of the things as i hope you're starting to see is the specific sins all have a certain root and they will all go back to your identity in christ who you are and what's drawing those sins out of you.

So this handout that we have you're just going to kind of walk through it. This is just one of them. In the next few weeks we're going to be looking at different aspects of how god counsels us in the various circumstances.

Anger is a specific one. We'll look at three weeks from now but we're going to use an aspect called the polemic in terms of dealing with circumstances where we may be tempted to sin or tempted to go under the trial.

So let me let me start by looking at the notes you have. So what is a polemic. We have developing a polemic against the gods of their world or our world. We have certain gods in this world and this council goes through developing a polemic.

A polemic is an argument against an opinion or a doctrine. It says here what it is is. Uh there is a we believe something as christians. So uh when we talk about being content with certain things and then there is another opinion which says i deserve a lot of things and i would i have a right to be discontent with my state of life.

Now a polemic says that view that that idea that controls people's lives is completely and absolutely wrong. So it's not just like okay you know we both can kind of coexist. And you know sometimes i'll slip here and i'll come back when i want.

This is to say this is god's view. This is god's world. And this is the world under the sun if you will. This is the devil's world. This is the world that i was formerly a part of. And as a polemic what happens is i identify with what god says and i say i reject and i i tear down if you will anything that stands up against god's world.

So that's what a polemic is it actually. Um uh it strikes at the heart of what is unbelief what is contrary to god's world. Now the second point you have there is we have developed polemics for what stands against our faith.

Now there are many uh examples of this. I'm just going to give you one think of sovereignty of god. When we think of god's sovereignty most of the time the first thing that comes to my mind is election which is the primary area in which we are most grateful for because god sovereignly chooses us we had nothing to do with it but god purposefully chose each of you who believes according to his grace.

Now as a polemic you want to think the breadth a little broader what sovereignty means. We could look at it in the election side but i'm going to look at it a little differently. Maybe you can answer me what does the truth of god's sovereignty have to do with you going through life especially maybe going through trials.

How does that impact your trials. Right. God is in control. Very good. And what is that. Yes he's gonna say god ordains all things for my good and for his glory romans 8 28. So these circumstances god is in control and he is the one who is uh bringing ordaining these events in order for them to be purposeful in my life that i may grow in godliness now.

That's that's the biblical worldview. So if you look at it from the world who doesn't know god these are products of chance they just randomly happen. Like bruce you were telling earlier about circumstances that are out of our control when the worldly person sees that he's like these are all the world is against me.

People are against me things are going on. And if you believe like most of the world does in evolution it's like these are all chance. These are just random stuff that happens and i just happen to be caught in some something that i don't i have no control over.

And here yeah i don't have control over either. But i know someone who does god is sovereign and you you develop a polemic against that worldview. Its world is not governed by chance. World is not random.

The world is completely governed by a sovereign and gracious god. So what happens here is i train my mind from the scriptures so that when i am in this particular circumstance i don't start to think like the world.

I say this thinking is completely antithetical to the scriptures. And so when i'm counseling someone i try to help that person know what the truth is but more importantly for myself remind myself of what is true because when i'm caught in the trouble i sometimes forget and i can slip into that way of thinking.

So polemic stands here and says that is completely wrong. So before i have to deal with my own responses i may actually have to tear down that thinking that is that can insidiously come back and corrupt my old my own worldview.

That's biblical. So a few other examples you know for example evangelism is the same thing when you go tell people there is only one god. You're basically saying all other gods are false. There is no other god.

So you are actually breaking down their worldview by doing evangelism. So the psalmist so now coming to the psalms these guys were actually champions of their faith. Now what that means is this. You know deuteronomy 6 4 hero israel the lord your god.

The lord is one and you shall love the lord your god with all your heart soul mind and strength. You know that's the that's the jewish understanding the old testament saints knew this they believe this.

But if you just look at the old testament history you can see not everybody lived by it. If there were times when they they followed the lord faithfully and other times they just went for every other god except the one true god of the bible.

And that is the same challenge that we have today as well. And the psalmist went through that the particular psalm you're going to look at is going to be at a time when they knew the old testament they had the old testament but instead of following the one true god they were going to be following all the gods little g's in uh off the peter.

And now the psalmist that records for us he is um going to do two things. One is he's going to do an offensive thing and the other one is defensive. So when he um and this is one of the things that is going to be a little bit of a challenge for us and i'll work that through the psalms.

When we read the psalms sometimes the psalms don't give the historical context so it's hard for us to know what specifically was going on in israel at that time. So um but the the sounds we're going to see there is either a time of apostasy or there is a time of an external nation coming down and israel and the psalmist here as a champion of god's truth is going to give an offense against whatever it is that is encroaching against the people and himself at that time.

So if there if it's about pagan gods he's going to attack those pagan gods and say these are falsehood these need to be uh exposed for what they are and do it unashamedly and clearly and boldly and so that and also for the others.

And on the flip side he's also going to be defending uh who how yahweh is the only true god. So he needs to remind himself that this is the god he worships and this is the only god that truly exists and this is whom under whom he is going to submit.

So he's going to be tearing down the false gods as well as defending the god that he worships. So this is basically how the song is going to be a champion of his faith in that particular circumstance.

And we are going to draw from there to see how we too will have to do something like that when we deal with challenges to our faith. Number four. Actually i just kind of drew on this the prevailing threatening pagan gods of their time.

Now some 19 is a little harder because i was not able to find additional references for this. But why don't we just turn to some 19. We're going to get a few songs here quickly before we get into the main one.

Um in psalm 19 verse 1 the heavens declare the glory of god and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Now this obviously is talking primarily about a general revelation. God made these things and each of these things are extolling god and the psalmist exalts with looking at nature and saying you know this is the great god i worship now.

And that is the primary sense. The psalm 19 has three sections to it. The first section is mainly general revelation but in verse four it says their measuring line goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world and in them he has sent set a tent for the sun.

And from my understanding from what i heard from here like again this particular song i couldn't get additional references. Apparently during this time this is still david's time. You're you're they're surrounded.

If you remember david um saul was the king before him the nations are still you know all around and david is now going to be fighting against these other king kingdoms and then establishing the kingdom of god and the boundaries.

And then you have these nations that worship their own gods all around. And one of the nations is the worship of the sun. And here the the psalmist actually talks about how all of these created things are made by god.

They point to god and they have a parameter a sphere in which they exist. These gods are not omnipotent omniscient like the god of the bible. They have a specific place. And again in this particular case it's a little bit tangential but i'm going to take another sound here psalm 29 where we will see a little bit more of um this issue.

This one will be very clear. Psalm 29 is a polemic against the storm god and this is actually a canaanite storm god. And there if you look at the uh the original canaanite language these are actually phrases that the canaanites used to extol their god.

If you want to think of exodus the 10 um plagues and how these their egyptian gods are torn down by by the true god. Likewise here in psalm 29 the storm god of canaan all the ways that they used to extol are used here except that they are reversed.

It is who is the one who is in control. It is the lord. And if you just look at verse one ascribe to the lord glory and strength ascribe to the lord glory to his name. And then verses three onwards you see this voice of the is over the waters.

It's the god of glory thunders over many waters. Voice of the lord is powerful voice of the lord full of majesty. It's like who is the one who does this. It is not your storm god that is breaking the cedars and causing the storms.

But it is god himself who is in complete control of all that that occurs. And here again you want to look at it. This is what the canaanites are worshiping. This is what the canaanites are believing. And especially if you're on the borderlines of israel you're going to be in contact with these people.

And and uh and the psalmist here is saying reject that there is no such storm god. There is only one god and that is the god of the bible. And he's the one who does all this. So for us when we look back we may not without that context it'll be like we just worship the um the beauty of god.

But i think when you look at the context it is not just extolling our god but it's actually tearing down the false gods. I was gonna say also exactly yes you have the yahweh the covenant keeping god over and over again in the psalms.

And there is that personal relationship. God has covenanted. He relates to us in a way different than these pagan gods. And the same thing in psalm 93 the floods have lifted up oh lords their voice. But then mightier than the thunders of many waters mightier than the waves.

Verse 4 93 verse 4 the lord on high is mighty. And then it goes on to say not just the fact that these are against the sea god but these poor people who worship the sea god had a certain view of the god of the bible.

And then in verse 7 you see they say the lord does not see. The god of jacob does not perceive. And then he responds that's what you think. Understand what dullest people fools when will you be wise. He who planted the air does he not hear.

And then he is now talking about the god of the bible. So we're going to see this polemic. These are just a few examples. So you see how the contrast of the pagan beliefs and the true belief of the scriptures and how the psalmist deals with unbelief from the outside as well as what can come toward himself.

Now let's now take a minute to say so how does this apply in our circumstances. The psalmist dealt with like idols and gods that were very obviously worshipped by the false people. Now what kind of prevailing threatening views or gods are we challenged by.

We don't have a storm god that comes and threatens our faith. What are the little gods that come and threaten us happiness. That's and that's very key because sometimes we don't realize it that while it's not sinful to be happy but my happiness can become a little god that i put incense to every morning.

If i don't feel happy today then my god is not pleased with me. And you know i need to somehow get the happiness from this god otherwise my day is not good. We'll we'll unpack that a little bit. Any other yes government so i might trust this on this whatever the government is that is established and they are the ones who need to provide for my well-being.

And if that goes off then you know my whole world has collapsed. My my party lost the election or my guy didn't make it and now i'm doomed and that is again we look back against the sovereign god of the bible versus my trust put in this little god of this world.

Work work. And we'll unpack that a little bit more. Because when we think of providence of god sometimes it just becomes god is provident he's provides in the big picture. But you know my work is the one that actually provides for me and i have to worship my work if i get laid off you know my god is unhappy with me because my work just kicked me out.

Family. And again nothing sinful with family it's a good blessed thing to have a family in the lord. But then i can elevate my family to the point where my god becomes lower and my family becomes higher.

And when i do that i'm going to be looking for something from this family that it can never ever provide only god can provide genuine satisfaction. But when i make my family my satisfaction i'm it's going to be a very poor god.

Maybe one more really an idol is anything that in your mind from the top spot and put something else there in place of it. That's exactly right. So and i think that's the connection you want to make. So when you look at these pagan gods these idols that people worship to these more subtle gods that we make in our own mind and we switch between these many many gods.

So we don't really realize how we are sometimes bound by these false gods. Uh you want to have this thought who is lord yaweh over my life. And when we ask ourselves maybe end of the day you know the way i live this day today.

Did i live as if i was worshiping my god. Or was i just bowing my knee to a thousand others through the day. Um let's actually move on because i want to make sure we get to the text here today. So uh good examples guys.

Developing a Polemic Against Modern Idols

So then the next one we're going to look at is the new testament principles. Now the sounds are a little challenging only because they're going to be talking about a lot of stuff and the application can get you could probably apply to a lot of different ways and sometimes not so biblically.

So you always want to go to the new testament to say what scriptures would guide my application of what i'm studying from the psalms. And so one of the uh applications that i have here is consider the lust of the flesh.

Um i had matthew 15 17 to 20 you can just take it down. We won't read it. And there it talks about how what comes out of your mouth uh comes from the heart and that defines a person. And uh you want to be considering what is in your heart in terms of the lust of the flesh and how it is that you want to uh deal with um with with temptations that come your way and uh and and so maybe the next step that i have here is the goal of the christian.

These are the issues we deal with the lust of the flesh. And what should the goal of christian be. And that's in second corinthians 5 9. So whether we are at home or away we make it our aim to please him.

We are here to glorify god. Our goal here is to please god. And that is what we ought to be doing. We struggle with the lust and our and our and our aim ought to be to please god um with our lives. So we talked about family.

It is not while we want to please our family it is subservient to pleasing god. And it should always god pleasing god should always be foremost in our hearts. Now i have the steps here of how we want to use the psalm in a polemic.

I'm just going to walk quickly through this and then in the back side we'll slow down and and talk about it. So the first step a is to find a psalm that develops an argument against a pagan attitude that is hostile to the faith.

So uh and in this particular case i'm going to give you a few few psalms that have this polemic already in them. So you don't need to do that. And what you have to do in the first step is to find the prevailing pagan thought that is hostile to yahweh.

I gave you the example of 29 of how the storm god these people were thinking that the storm was in control of storm god was in control and yahweh was not. And uh and the psalmist is first going to and you want to first identify what is it that the psalmist is struggling with that is a hostile to the faith now that hostile faith let me put it this way if i had a chart i withdraw it.

So we said this is the world of yahweh of our true god of the bible. And here is one of the pagan gods that is in that is claiming to be in control. So this is the view that this world has and this is the god that this is the god of the bible.

Now the person who ascribes to this view uh has something to say against the person who is in the christian world. So i think a good example of this would be when the assyrian army was outside of israel uh outside and he said you know my god is the one who has destroyed all these different kingdoms and he will destroy your kingdom too because our god is more powerful than yours.

So he's talking on a human plane. And that's basically what we are we are looking at. So what that pagan thought has a hostility which is directed toward you. And here in this example we will see in the psalms the pagan asked where is your god.

And that's basically the challenge that the and and especially if you are in maybe captivity that would be a it would be one thing if you were you know in peace and comfort. But when you're in trial and that is us you would have that same doubt where is my god.

You know. And that's basically what the psalmist is going to deal with. And then in the third point there is the psalmist goes back to the scriptures and he's able to respond and he said my god is in the heavens he does whatever he pleases.

It's like right now it may not seem that way to you but i know where my god is and he is absolutely in control and he can do what he wants it. And i and i reject your your your worldview and i'm going to talk about what the god of the bible says.

So that's basically the the psalms context of what happens. And we'll draw that from psalm 115. And once you understand the psalm structure then you look at how it applies into your own circumstances.

So in point b we look at the parallel attitudes and tensions. So today's you know we i have a few examples atheism skepticism unbelief i mean we're just surrounded by it. So if you try to go and talk in your workplace like we're talking here today you know you'll either get laughed ridiculed or you know maybe kicked out if you said things that people didn't like and and and these worldviews have an influence upon the way you think whether you like it or not.

And you need to be very careful to identify what are those hostile elements to your own faith to say you know here is what this is happening to me and then say in what way can i now be a champion of my faith for righteousness just like the psalmist was in his time and place.

Now i'm not speaking this in the more abstract sense we're going to draw it down to specific trials specific temptation. So how can what are some of these worldviews that have crept in these little gods into my own thinking or the thinking of the person i'm helping.

And how can i go back to the scriptures go back to my god and bring them out to bear upon this particular circumstance. So we want to then apply this truth in these person's lives. So with that i think the if you turn your sheet over there's a questionnaire so you you want to help yourself and i mean if it's for yourself you just want to intentionally walk through this because i think sometimes we read the scriptures we meditate on it and sometimes we when we do the application we want to maybe just take the time to say you know what are all these areas in which i need to work this out.

And the questionnaire is one of those that helps you. And we have the questionnaire below for psalm 115. So the two points in the questionnaire how is the psalmist speaking to his problem. And then how do you respond to those circumstances.

Um using and i think those two key words attitudes and actions of the psalmist. So the psalmist is not just giving you some some words that you just memorize he is living it out with with force. And the poetry helps to bring that with color.

And that helps you in those times when you are crushed to say that man was crushed too but he exalted in god. And i ought to be able to do the same because my god is the same god of that psalmist in his time.

So that's basically what we want to draw from there. Now the last point i have there is uh confirming the mind of the counselee the principle of the psalm by the new testament. So when i first asked off the question on anger i mean you had some great responses.

You know what does the bible say in your anger do not sin. Uh look at your relationship with christ when you think about anger and retribution and and all the stuff that we had. And these are all the um propositional truths that ought to undergird.

Well while you're going through the psalms looking for this here is what you you need to uh be able to illustrate from the particular psalm that you're getting out there. So you don't want to just go um pick any psalm and then randomly come up with your own theory but rather you want the new testament principles to be coming out of those psalms.

And so in psalm 115 we will actually walk that through. So let's let's get into psalm 115. And if you have time we'll look at psalm 121 or one of the other psalms that are listed there from the samples um if someone can read for me psalm 115 really loud that way all of you can listen to it.

And then we'll pick that apart with the questionnaires.

Can someone volunteer to do that loudly. Thank you. Now do us. Oh lord. They have ears but do not feel. Speak. Those who make them become real trust in the lord here's their help in their shield on their shield.

You who fear the lord trust in the lord he is their help in their shield. The lord has remembered us he will bless us he will bless the house of israel he will bless the house of aaron. All and the great may the lord give you increase.

May you be blessed by the lord who made the heaven and earth the heavens of the lord's heavens but the earth he has given to the children of men. The dead do not praise the lord nor do any who go down into silence but he will bless the from this time forth and forevermore praise the lord.

Thank you. Uh if you had time i would just.

Sit a little bit more on the psalm before we go to the questionnaire. But you ought to sit in this all right. If you just see the the strain that moves from the beginning of the psalm to the end. You know he begins with not to us oh lord but to you be the glory.

And then the verses two and three are the ones that we talked about earlier. What is actually going on. There is a challenge to his faith. And then he talks about the idols and then he talks about what god does.

And then by the time he finishes he is praising the lord because he his confidence in god is extremely high. And you're going to we're going to pick a few things from here. But when you when you read this psalm just read it meditate on it and then just revel in the confidence that the psalmist has in the midst of his trial.

This particular trial is one of those where apostasy has come into israel. This is not the case of the nation of israel doing very well following the lord obeying him and then looking and laughing at the idols in the next kingdom.

The idols in the next kingdom have invaded they are pervasive this everywhere. And this psalmist is one of the few who's standing up and saying you know this is the truth. I may be surrounded by all these uh israelites who are following after these idols.

But there is a god in heaven and he does whatever he pleases. When my neighbor is talking to me where is your god. So that's the context. Now let's just walk through the questionnaire quickly. So knowing the context of what uh the psalmist has gone through.

The question we have is what are the idols. Are gods in your life. We we actually picked this up a little earlier. We talked about happiness work uh and a few other examples. Let's just keep them in our mind.

Or maybe if there's something specific that you are currently dealing with some trial that overwhelmed you and become its own god in your life you want to maybe keep that in mind. And with that let's go to verse two which talks about the psalmist view of those gods in the time of israel.

Those those gods had a physical representation. They were made of some object and the psalmist explains what they are and what they cannot do. Although they would people believe them to be able to they can't speak.

They can't hear. They can't do anything. Um now let's let's just take a minute to talk about the the idols in our lives whether it's work or happiness. How would they translate the psalmist words. If you had to take that words and then apply that and say okay this is how those scriptures would look if i put it for this particular god in my life.

How would that.

Look let's take happiness. I think that's an easy one and everything that they feel like they need to satisfy them and they look to it. It's almost like what the psalmist is saying your happiness has hands but they can't handle.

Your happiness has eyes but you can't see it has a mouth but he can't speak he can't help you. You're looking in the wrong place. Exactly. And. And the thing is.

This like happiness is such more so much more subtle. You know when i have a little god that my neighbor is worshiping i can flick it over and say it's off but when this little god is hiding somewhere in my own brain and in my own heart i need to weed that out and then say you know this is the little god that i'm worshiping and i need to put that against the god of the bible and say this thing just doesn't do what it claims it'll do.

And my heart and my mind that is stuck under this worldview needs to come out and reject. And that's the polemic and say this god does not satisfy. And we talked about work the same thing if i'm looking to this particular work as the savior of my or the provider for my family instead of the god of the god of heaven and earth and it is it is hiding somewhere in my heart.

I need to get that idol out and then look at it just as the and for us it may seem it's easy for him but not really. So not when all your neighbors were doing that thing and they were encroaching upon his own life.

And we need to do the same with these little gods whatever particular god with a small g that is attempting to take over our life now. So that's the negative side or the offense against the falsehood.

And the third point is the positive side. And so in verse 12 and 13 we look back and say who is the god who actually blesses us who provides these benefits that these little idols of these little gods cannot.

And you see there the lord has remembered us he will bless us he will bless. And he he repeats again it's he will bless us. He will bless the house of israel he'll bless the house of aaron he will bless those who fear the lord.

He i mean and this is poetic and it's meant to reiterate it's meant to affirm something that ought to have been common knowledge but something that at this point in time i need to remember and make sure that my faith is grounded upon this god who is the one who can truly bless.

So that's that's basically what uh the psalmist does. And we need to remember that in our circumstance as well. So happiness our work versus the god of the bible who alone provides the happiness and the work in the first place.

Now the fourth step and this is the the biggest challenge is to admit that the idols in your hearts are false god impotent and cannot deliver. Um you know first is to identify these gods. The next one is actually to admit it.