Reading the Psalms as God’s Gift to Us

Good morning people a couple of quick housekeeping things. We were looking at the bulletin today and I discovered I have the wrong number of grandchildren listed that we actually have nine grandchildren of some older document that I was trying to cut and paste and Wasn't smart enough to remember how many grandchildren we have.

So anyway, that's one housekeeping event different one. I've had a bronchitis the last couple weeks. Hopefully, I'm well had it been an antibiotics just finished the antibiotics. Presumably I'm not contagious.

But if I cough Just pray for me. I guess that's a rule on that terms of the message today. What I'd like us to think about as we look at a passage like some 48 is what do we do with a passage of scripture that we read through it and kind of Shrug our shoulders and say ho-hum.

What does that? How does that connect up with me in my life? You know, here's something that's clearly an Old Testament passage and it's maybe somewhat of a strange passage. Exalting the city of Jerusalem that you know, what do we do with passages like that?

So that's partly where I'm trying to go in this message. It's To see these Psalms as God's gifts to us to see all the Bible as God's gifts to us. Even as we read through the Bible, hopefully you have some plan to read through the Bible on some kind of a regular basis that Sooner or later, you're going to come to strange passages of scripture that you're really not quite sure.

Why is this there? What are we supposed to learn from it? And I think part of the answer to that is that God is writing this to People over thousands of years of history. He's writing it to people all around this world people whose life experiences are very different from ours here in the US.

So that he's writing for the broad Scope of the world the broad scope of time and even for us that passage is a scripture. That are less meaningful to us at one period of life may suddenly become more meaningful at a different period of life.

You know, so just seeing the sovereignty of God even in how he's given us the Bible fairly thick book and Even this thought of trying to read through the entire Bible, you know, that's kind of a challenge I think especially if you've not grown up in the Christian faith.

But anyway, and the focus of today's message is particularly on the Psalms. But thinking more generally of all of God's Word. I want to begin with this thought of the importance of reading the Psalms how do you read a book like the Psalms and I want to begin just by encouraging you to read the Psalms on a regular basis to See, this is part of God's Word as far as I'm concerned.

It's both the prayer book of the Bible and the song book of the Bible. Now the disadvantage of the song book part is there's no tunes to it. So that some of these you read the historical title there at the beginning and it refers to some Song that was presumably known by people at the time it was being written.

But we have no clue today what those tunes were so that you know there's a song book, but we don't quite know the song we don't know the tunes and Some of you are familiar with different approaches to the Psalter where they tried to maybe Work it out in some way that it kind of lines up as poetry and English more clearly than it does.

In.

Regular translations so we can begin to sing it that if you're going to sing something. This is my interest. I'm not musical, but my understanding is it needs to have a certain meter to it. You know, especially if you're going to try to sing Line it up in different verses in a hymn that kind of thing.

So if you're like me. You need all the help you can get to stay on track spiritually and here's the book of Psalms a gift to God. Prayer book and a hymn book and and so for us to see this is one of God's gifts to us.

Slightly different thought I want us to think about for a moment. And this is bit developing a balanced spiritual diet. When I was a child in public schools, I learned about different food groups. I didn't learn a lot but learn a little bit as fruits and vegetables and protein and all the other different parts of the food chart there and the point of this kind of classification is to remind us that if we are going to grow up and to Be healthy and strong.

We need a balanced diet. Physically, and I still believe that's true even today but the focus I want us to think about today is a balanced spiritual diet and That as far as I'm concerned different parts of God's Word serve different purposes.

You know here we're kind of in back of my mind thinking the food groups there's fruits and vegetables and all these other kinds of things and that as we think about God's Word to remind us that as far as I'm concerned the four Gospels serve a different nutritional purpose than Paul's epistles and both of them are different from historical narrative like a book of Acts or an apocalyptic book like the book of Revelation and these are all different from Old Testament law Old Testament prophets Old Testament historical books and So on in Psalms and Proverbs each of these are different genres is one literary word We could use but they also serve different spiritual nutritional purposes.

So here's the thought that's in my mind if we're going to have a balanced spiritual diet. We need some kind of regular exposure to all these different parts of God's Word. You know, it's like in terms of physical food, you don't just eat all vegetables for one meal and have a different meal.

It's going to be all fruits different meal. It's all going to starches different meal different protein that's not how we normally eat we kind of ideally combine different things in a given meal and guess what on a regular basis we need to combine different parts of God's Word and The part that's most on my mind today is the Psalms and to see that the Psalms serve a specific Purpose in God's Word again, it's kind of accomplished him book prayer book kind of thing.

But also as we're reading through the Psalms as far as I'm concerned our emotions we're kind of all over the board in terms of emotions day-to-day time moment by moment even sometimes and If we read through the Psalms we discover words for whatever we might be feeling at a given point in time.

You know that the Psalms just give us words for our Emotions that a lot of times I don't have a lot of imagination a lot of times I can have a feeling and not know how to put it into words and a lot of times the Psalms can be helpful to that can help us find words and That kind of thing so in terms of this idea of a balanced diet.

This is why I think we need to be on a regular reading through scripture some kind of plan or that kind of thing. My wife and I happen to use Robert Murray McCheney's Bible reading plan. Those of you familiar with it one advantage of it is we're reading different parts of God's Word every day so that just that exposure to The broad sweep of scripture and for us to do that with a book of Psalms in particular so that Just to see the different Parts of God's Word.

And I think we also have the advantage of different time slots during our day and week when we can focus on different parts of God's Word. That I think many times it's hard for us to find time to read anything from scripture on a regular basis.

But here's some I'm going to mention three different opportunities. We have three potential opportunities at least and For the each of us need to be reading God's Word Individually in our own personal walk with God call it our quiet time individual time with the Lord whatever we call it and that.

Again, there's no substitute for regular individual Bible reading for those of us who are married. Especially if we're married to a Christian spouse that ideally we'd find some time together to connect up where we would do ideally two things read something from scripture and pray together and again ideal world.

We would do that every day. My wife and I happen to be retired 77 going on 78 so I am retired and It's our schedule is more flexible than some of your schedules. But I think in an ideal world for us to try to connect up with our spouses whenever we can two goals reading something from scripture and praying together and I and The goal is thought right here is not one.

Let's be legalistic and try to come up with some legalism and scare everybody scare ourselves. That's not the goal but the goal is simply to say Try to ask God what he would want you to do as a married couple if you're married applies to you if you're not married doesn't quite fit, but Anyway, there's that plan and again I'm gonna appeal for a place for the Psalms somewhere my wife and I have what we call family devotions and Our schedule is more flexible in some of yours do it right after breakfast whenever we can.

Some days it doesn't work out didn't work out today. I had to go to church early today other days, there's other early things doesn't always work out, but it does work out whenever we can and There's no legalism.

There's just you know, here's a plan whenever possible. We're going to allocate some time there and third possibility is if you're married and have children and The children are still at home. To see that as an opportunity to either gather together as the entire family or maybe it's just one parent going off with a maybe even just one child at a time or something and Maybe reading something quick praying.

But to have something on a regular basis. So here's Again, my appeal I want you to read the book of Psalms. Three potential slots individual personal devotions. Family devotions if you're married. Family devotions if you have children at home who are there living with you all kinds of flexibility.

Even this past week. My wife was suggested. Maybe we should do something slightly different in our personal family devotions, you know. So there's time to kind of reevaluate and kind of see what fits us best at this point in time.

Can't do it every day do it some days. I can't do it every day. Do it once a week or you know kind of whatever and again. The bottom line is to focus on the book of Psalms. See what fits your schedule.

And again to see the book of Psalms as a key book in our lives that. It's something that fits us in all kinds of different situations. It's a book in a book of scriptures. James gonna read a verse from James 5 13.

He's talking about different scenarios in our lives. James says is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing Psalms. This is what the King James says with a new King James says let him sing Psalms and other translations.

Just say let them out praise God, you know that kind of thought that the Greek word there is Salmo which is p s a l then it continues on a little more and it's the verb form for singing Psalms and and what are Psalms.

Answer. Psalms are items of praise and The thought is that we praise God in all kinds of different situations. Read through the book of Psalms some Psalms are Positive we're exalting in God's goodness kind of some other Psalms are laments.

That here's a time. It's a difficult time in our lives. We're crying out to God for his help either individually or Corporately, there's individual laments. There's corporate laments. So that we're crying out to God.

So it's we're praising God. We're recognizing God's greatness even in times of situations that are not always easy. So we're looking to him for his help. So that just to see the Psalms as a part of God's Word.

New thought learning to read poetry. I'm a dedicated math and science person. This is how I grew up that when I was in high school, I Basically one goal in life that was to become an engineer. I like math and science.

Maybe it wasn't engineering maybe some other area of science who knows what? Went to Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio.

A.

Year after I left there it became part of Case Western Reserve University and it's basically a pre-engineering program so that this is the kind of person that I am and During that year there God led me in a different direction changed colleges changed majors changed everything.

Ended up going to Gordon College pursuing a very different kind of lifestyle in terms of academics at least and so that I've learned to read literature and poetry out of my interest in reading the Bible.

This these are not natural interests of mine. That I'm more of a math science kind of person. But I know that God has revealed himself through the Bible and the Bible is not a scientific textbook. It's not a math book.

It's different from either of those. It's what I'm going to call literature and part of that literature is Psalms and Poetry in particular so for us to see Just how important poetry is to God so we need to learn more about that.

Scholars estimate that between one quarter and one-third of the Bible is written in poetry. One quarter to one-third of the Bible is written in poetry. Which to me is kind of a surprising thought but there it is.

So that and in a lot of our newer Bible translations. It's often typeset as poetry. So we see it's not just prose that kind of goes from one margin to the other but it's kind of arranged in stanzas and Verses that kind of thing so that you know, this is poetry and if we're going to read it.

Understand it properly. We need to learn how to read poetry. There's an area pastor. Not too far less than an hour away. Maybe an hour away. I don't know recently written a crossway book and the subtitle of the book is a devotional guide to selected poems of George Herbert.

So he's looking in particular poems by Christian Poet George Herbert and he's talking partly about poetry in general. So that's what I've been reading more recently, but also poems by this Christian of a century or two ago George Herbert.

So just to see how God has revealed himself not only in scripture through poetry. But even through Christian leaders and poetry so that but that is kind of an introduction. I want us to look at Psalm 48 and to see that.

The message for today, how do we take a poem? Psalm 48 is a poem believe it or not and.

It's.

Superficially kind of a strange poem. It's talking about things that I'm gonna assume for argument's sake. We don't normally think about how great is the city of Jerusalem? It's not one of my natural thoughts day by day and maybe it's not in your life either but here it is and that's what this Psalm is talking about the greatness of the city of Jerusalem and how God wants us to appreciate that and to reflect on that and to see that this is Not the only truth in scripture, but it is one truth that God has devoted one particular Psalm to.

So Psalm 48 describes a theme of joy. Quest for joy. The author is looking for something special. He's looking for Joy, it's a hymn of praise to the city of Jerusalem, which is described here as the city of our God.

Psalm 48 is actually one of half a dozen so-called songs of Zion. That where people are reflecting on the city of Jerusalem. But not simply, you know, this isn't like a tour guide kind of thing. This is Reflecting on this city of Jerusalem.

Because it has a special place in God's Revelation a special place in history. There's lessons there that God has for us. So for us to see this and to appreciate it that just to review a little history that King David is the one who Shortly after he became he was king of the southern area of Judah first and then he later became king of northern kingdom southern kingdom and Kingdom of the United Kingdom of Israel and Shortly after that he decided he was going to make Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom political kingdom spiritual kingdom.

So that and he was doing this for three reasons one reason it's on the border between Benjamin and the tribe of Judah so it in one sense really didn't belong to either tribe. Jerusalem was also in David's time unconquered territory.

So as an opportunity to make a fresh beginning and make a new capital without any past history. That would be a hindrance to him. Third reason. It was on kind of a rocky hilltop Mountain of some 2 ,500 feet not very big terms of mountains as they go but still a more strategic place a place with some natural protection to it so that This would be the new capital of the people of Israel.

God had also promised back in Deuteronomy 12 verses 5 to 7. Which was written now, I don't know four or five hundred years before David's time. This is what Deuteronomy 12 says verses 5 to 7. You shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses out of all your tribes to put his name for his dwelling place.

For there you should go there. You should take your burnt offerings your sacrifices your tithes the eve offerings of your hand the vowed Offerings your free will offerings the firstborn of your herds and flocks and there you shall eat before the Lord your God.

And she rejoiced and all that To which you have given your hand you and your household in which the Lord your God has blessed you. So at first it seemed that this Chosen site was the city of Shiloh city in the tribe of Ephraim located in central Israel.

Shiloh had been a central meeting place of God's people ever since the time of Joshua and their entrance into the promised land. For example, we can read in Joshua 18 1 now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh and Set up the tabernacle of meeting there again.

This is a time at their original entrance into the promised land. Under Joshua's they'd left Egypt. They'd wandered around the wilderness for 40 years. They'd arrived in the promised land and they immediately went to Shiloh in the center of the country.

Cut in the tribe of Ephraim if you know where that is. Some of you may remember the story of Samuel and how as a boy he was Dedicated to serve in the Old Testament tabernacle under Eli the priest. All this took place when the tabernacle was located at Shiloh.

Shiloh was the center Religious center of Israel right up to the time of David his choice of Jerusalem as a new capital. We also some of us know the story of Solomon building the original temple as we're told in first Kings 816.

Is what that verse says since the day that I brought the people out of Israel out of Egypt I've chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house. That my name may be there, but I've chosen David to be over my people Israel.

And by implication God chose Jerusalem to be the city of the great king. So for dating this Psalm Psalm 48 that we read a few minutes ago. It's clearly after the time of David. David is dedicated this City to be the capital of both politically and religiously of the people of Israel.

It's after the time of Solomon Solomon to build the temple. Psalm 48 makes a reference to the temple. So it's after that time and I'm gonna date the temple just maybe 9 60s 950 BC something like that.

So we're most of a thousand years before Christ and from that time on Jerusalem is the earthly city that Is the key place in Old Testament redemptive history? It's a key place in Jesus ministry in the New Testament.

So that here's the city of Jerusalem. So here's Psalm 48 is is celebrating the city of Jerusalem. Want to share something. Years ago when I was a seminary student myself I can remember I was preaching on a Psalm happened to be Psalm 32 and at about that same time I was studying Hebrew in seminary.

So I was trying to use my new skills in Hebrew and all that so that. The problem I had with some with Psalm 32, especially as I looked back on it. Was I preached Psalm 32 like I was preaching to an Old Testament audience?

Psalm 32 includes these words opening words words of Psalm 32. Blesses he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered. Blesses a man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit.

There's no deceit. So what is Psalm 32 referring to? Answer it's referring to Christ. But you know in my preaching of that Psalm as I look back at it I really didn't see that very clearly. We need to see that Christ is a theme of all of Scripture.

Not only Psalm 32, but I'm gonna argue Psalm 48 and all of Scripture that Christ is the theme and All of Scripture is interconnected. It's all coming ultimately from the same person. It's coming from God himself.

God through his spirit is inspired all of Scripture. So in one sense that has a similar theme now granted. There's a bunch of different human authors and it's written over I don't know 1 ,500 years of time bunch of different human authors so that it comes from different perspectives.

But in one sense, there's a unified single perspective and that's God's revelation to us. That it's the same theme from start to finish. God is a God of grace. God is a God of giving. Whatever it takes to bring people into a right relationship with him and from a New Testament perspective.

We know that whatever it takes focus is on Jesus Christ but that's there was that same hope in the Old Testament time that. You know, we could read those verses in Psalm 32. Blesses he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blesses the man to him.

The Lord does not impute iniquity in his spirit. There's no disease. How does that take place? The ultimate answer is through Christ. But Christ isn't mentioned in Psalm 32 or he's not mentioned as clearly as we see him in the New Testament.

He is mentioned in the Old Testament, but not as clearly. So for us to see those connections to see that God is at work in all of scripture including I'm gonna argue Psalm 48. That's one we're gonna look at today.

But to see that God is at work in all these different Psalms and all the strange passages of scripture my impression I like reading through the Bible in a year or something like that. One problem with some plans is you start in Genesis 1 1 on January 1st and you kind of gradually work your way through the entire Bible and this is my impression.

You correct me if you think I'm wrong as you get to a certain past certain portion of scripture. Maybe you're still in the Old Testament law or who knows where you are and you start to feel anemic. You you're not having a balanced diet of different parts of God's Word you're just kind of bogged down in Old Testament law and different sacrifices and sacrifice for this that and the other thing and.

And it doesn't feel particularly relevant and I think that's partly a Appreciation of you know for each of us. We need to get the big picture of scripture and a lot of times We're looking at little isolated portions of scripture.

There's a question if you're reading a novel or watching a DVD and you tear out one page out of your novel and say I'm Gonna just focus on this one page. Or you're looking at a DVD and you're looking at a 10-second clip.

Can you make sense out of that little portion of a novel that little portion of a DVD? You're watching 10 seconds worth. Can you understand the big picture what's going on from some little glimpse like that?

I don't think so. You know, I think the only way to make sense of scripture I've shared this with my students before this two ways. You need to read scripture one way is you need to read it quickly and get the big overview.

Second way you need to read it slowly so you can see the the truths that are there in that specific passage of scripture and if you don't have that big overview kind of Section of Understanding what's God doing in all of scripture read back Genesis?

Here's creation and here's the fall and other things are happening. We need to see that's part of the storyline and that even these strange things about all these different Sacrifices in the book of law all that this is part of God's plan.

So that we need to see how it all fits together need that big overview. Same time we need to slow up and just kind of camp out on a passage of scripture and see what's there. It's like putting a jigsaw puzzle together ideally, there's a place to look at the puzzle box because the box normally has the Big picture of what you're trying to put together when you're putting the jigsaw puzzle together same time.

There's a place to look at each individual piece of that jigsaw puzzle and try to see what's distinctive about this piece. Where in the world does this piece fit into this thing? That's an Pictured on the box of this jigsaw puzzle.

So we need both the big overview. We also need to camp out individually in terms of these little details so I'm going to share a couple principles for interpreting passages of scripture like the Psalms.

My view of preaching is that ideally you learn how to study the Bible by listening to how your pastor preaches or in this case your guest speaker how I Share and how I approach scripture. I want to share a few principles just to begin with first principle already talked about this that We need to be thinking in terms of poetry if we're looking at a psalm like Psalm 32.

It's poetry guess what poetry is different from prose it's different from regular Writing. It's something different. So we have to kind of shift gears a little bit second interpretive principle. Especially for books.

The Old Testament is that these books often require a sense of where we are Theologically in the flow of biblical or redemptive history in order to give them the proper theological context. Psalms are about halfway through the Old Testament.

Not only you know. If you're trying to find the book of Psalms and where he's kind of open your Bible in the middle and maybe the book of Psalms Is about there, but it's also happens to be about Midway along Old Testament history a lot of the Old Testament stories you're familiar with guess what?

They've already taken place before the Psalms are written and there's a good number of Old Testament books and stories that take place after the book of Psalms and guess what all the New Testament Story of Jesus story of Paul everything else in the New Testament is long after The book of Psalms we're looking for some broad generalizations.

Here's two dates time of David's about a thousand years before Christ time of Abraham and So on is about 2 ,000 years before Christ his third day Time of Moses not quite 1 ,500 BC, but there abouts so that you know.

Here's just a few days just to kind of give you a sense whenever you're reading scripture any passages scripture My mind you need to kind of know. Where are you? Historically in terms of What's happening in terms of the Bible or the Bible storyline that kind of thing and for us to see that in the Old Testament?

It's.

Part way along and it's also assuming whatever has taken place prior to that and it's also a lot of times in God's perfect plan and How God's written scripture it's looking ahead in anticipating or alluding to or preparing the way for prophesying different things and still to come.

So if we look at the book of Psalms it is Looking ahead to Christ and the New Testament realities associated with his life death resurrection and the new life that is ours through him. Third principle we need to see Christ in the gospel in the Old Testament.

Even though these themes are not presented as clearly as we see them elsewhere in scripture. Main themes Christ in the gospel are present virtually everywhere and His resurrection.

Time.

After his resurrection he's meeting with his disciples in the upper room. There in Luke 24 verse 44. This is what Jesus says. These are the words that I spoke to you while I was still with you. That all things must be fulfilled that were written in the law of Moses and the prophet and then he says specifically the Psalms Concerning me.

So he's focusing on three different sections of scripture the law which is beginning of the Old Testament and maybe even some of the historical books and the prophets and the prophets. Include both the so-called former prophets that we don't often think about as prophets and the later prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel and so on as well as the minor prophets.

So that and then the then says the Psalms and the Psalms sometimes is used generically to refer to the poetry the poetic sections that may include Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon that kind of thing so that Jesus is saying All of scripture Old Testament law the prophets of Psalms is talking about him.

So if we're reading through the Psalms and you know if we take a passage of scripture and make it too narrow Maybe we don't quite see Christ there, but if we kind of give it a little Flex we should see Christ somehow there.

So that's my goal even as we look at Psalm 48 is to see that this is talking Preparing the way for Christ and our love for him our appreciation of him. Want to shift gears. Want to look specifically at Psalm 48 for the next few minutes.

Psalm 48 divides itself up into four sections. First section is verses 1 to 3. What's so special about the city of Jerusalem. Verses 1 to 3? Celebrate the beauty of that city. Verse 1 begins great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, so it begins by focusing on God and Specifically the city of our God.

So that we're reminded of at least three realities. God's greatness. Consequently how appropriate is to worship and praise him and that this worship Originally took place especially in Jerusalem, which is described here as a city of our God.

Notice final two words in this opening sentence our God. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God is talking about God. Psalm is written in the hope that We have as believers.

Psalm describes the hope of an imagery of a city specifically the city of our God. And as the psalm progresses we see this clearly refers to the earthly city of Jerusalem. Verse 1 continues on and tells us about in his holy mountain.

Which is the mountain on which Jerusalem is located mountain of some 2 ,500 feet as I mentioned before. Verse 2 continues on beautiful and elevation the city of the whole earth is Mount Zion on the sides of the north city of the great king.

Notice this phrase joy of all the earth. So we can catch a glimpse of God's bigger plan of how Jerusalem is intended. Eventually to serve all the nations. Ultimately all the nations will share in these privileges.

The theme of Jerusalem being the praise of all the earth doesn't really take place in any significant way in David's time or even anywhere throughout the Old Testament and We could even wonder how much it took place in Time of Jesus own lifetime that by the time we get to the book of Acts we begin to see.

Guess what the gospel is spread all the way from Jerusalem to the city of Rome. That's the theme of the book of Acts. You know, we see the spread of the gospel, but that does not take place in Old Testament times does not take place within the original author original readers of Psalm 48 so it's partly looking ahead.

There's more to what God's telling us in Psalm 48 than simply the story of the earthly city of Jerusalem there at the time following King David and King Solomon the building of the temple. Verse 3 goes on to tell us what makes Jerusalem so great.

God is in her palaces. He's known as her refuge. God is the God who takes the initiative and he's the one who makes himself known even more amazing. God is like a fortress and Protects his people from all evil.

There's no evil in glory. We turn to the book of Revelation Day will come when all the problems that we have we had a bunch of prayer requests and different problems. And I'm sure there were unspoken prayer requests that were not mentioned publicly that all these problems will someday be over.

So we're looking ahead to that but we in the book of Psalm Psalm 48 we see that God's providing a place of protection for his people there in the city of Jerusalem. Also notice this some verse 2 reminds us not so much that Jerusalem is a great city.

But as we're told here, it's this City of a great King. The focus on Psalm 48 is not on the greatness of Jerusalem. It's really on the greatness of God. Here in these opening verses reminded the amazing realities of God.

God is both present Everywhere and at the same time present in special ways at special times. Theologians often describe God as being omnipresent. Omnipresent which means that God is present everywhere.

Imagine in your life a time when you don't sense God's presence at all. You just sense a lack of God's presence and all guess what. God is still present there, even though you don't sense it but is there's also that God allows his presence to be Manifest in certain ways in special ways certain times.

There's a verse in the Bible about how. That we're two or three are gathered together in God's name. Guess what Jesus is present there Matthew 18 20 so that there's times and places where God is present in special ways and one way where God allowed his presence to be present in a special way is in the temple there in Jerusalem and Specifically in the broader city of Jerusalem.

So if you were an Old Testament Saint guess what ideally three times a year you'd go up to Jerusalem and you'd offer sacrifices and If you're too far from Jerusalem think of Daniel. He's way over in Babylon that kind of thing.

He opens his window toward Jerusalem. He prays toward Jerusalem. God has promised to be present in Jerusalem in a special way and we see that Mentioned here in this psalm verses four to seven Constitutes the second major section of this psalm and developed this theme of God's protection for his people.

Remind us how even his enemies recognized God's greatness and consequently the security of Jerusalem. For behold the Kings assembled they passed by together. They saw it. They marveled. They were troubled.

They hastened away fear took hold of them there and pain is a woman and birth pains so when you break The ships of Tarshish with an east wind. So here's some parts of this are hard for us to understand.