Benefits of Studying the Psalms

You know, we've had so many people who've been pounded. We have had Hurricane Harvey.

As the costs are counted, it may prove to be the most costly natural disaster to ever hit this country. It may eclipse Katrina by a great deal, but it's going to take not just months, but years in rebuilding and in many cases lives and just property that's lost, it'll never be recovered. Each of us has storms that come across our life as well. There are times when it just clouds up and storms all over us. And as I look around a congregation, there are people with family members with very serious health issues. And there are members who have faced death, as we just read the card from Jo, where she has lost her sister Helen, just this last month or so, a little over. And we have others, I think, of one young lady in Gadsden, where while Louis and Lena were still here, we baptized her. And then her father died.

And her mother has some very serious health issues. And then a week and a half ago, she came in, and then the front door of her home had been kicked in, and a lot of things stolen. So it's been one of those years. She's just been stormed all over every time she turns around, but she's there with a smile on her face. And I thought it was interesting.

They went through everything she had, except one drawer. And that one drawer, she had some of her feast money hidden in them, which I would always discourage people from hiding money in your house, put it somewhere a little safer. And I guess I'm not sure if the U.S. bank system is a lot safer, but do whatever you have to do. But we have strife within family, within church, and we have just all kinds of ups and downs.

And then we have the other events. We have the most marvelous events that come along. Wasn't that many weeks back, I spent a good part of the day rocking a little 10-month-old little girl who was teething. And she just felt lousy, and she had a low-grade fever. And I'd get her to sleep and put her down and rush off to the kitchen to try to get my oatmeal for breakfast. And about 15 minutes is all I would get.

And I'd hear her crying, so I'd go back and get her. I guess she heard someone spooning oatmeal without her. But I sat there and looked at her, and I rocked and looked into those eyes. It was the most wonderful feeling. I think I've lived long enough to spend time with, you know, we've got a 14-year-old who went over the house, and we've got a three-year-old who went up in Alaska, and one who's passed 11 months now.

Well, I guess it's the Trumpets. She'll be a year old. That's a wonderful blessing. And you're on the highest highs, and if we would all graph our life, you know, there are those high points, and then there are the times when we just get stormed on. And there are so many times when I find myself turning to the book of Psalms, because it really is kind of a summary of the Bible.

It covers so much. It has prophecy. It has a lot of encouragement. It has a lot of Christian living. It teaches us how to approach God. It gives us an idea of how we should view God's law and God's creation.

It leaves us with the wonderful inspiration of where God's plan is going to go. It's been quite a few years. I know I gave an introductory background to the book of Psalms and covered some background information. I just, there's a little bit here I want to refer to, but we're going to take a different approach today and just consider some of the many benefits that we can glean from the Psalms. And I think we all need it as we we get run over sometimes by a truck. And then we turn around and we've got the greatest event that has happened in the longest time. I have the Life Application Bible.

I'll read a little bit from just their introductory notes, and then I'm going to shift to the King James. At the center of the Bible is the book of Psalms. This great collection of songs and prayers expresses the heart and soul of humanity. In them, the whole range of human experiences is expressed. David and other writers honestly pour out their true feelings, reflecting a dynamic, powerful, and life-changing friendship with God. The Psalmists confess their sins, express their doubts and fears, ask God for help in times of trouble, and they praise and worship Him.

We have in the book of Psalms a book that is quoted more often in the New Testament than any other. Of course, through the New Testament, the Old is referred to many, many times. There are some 263 quotations in the New Testament from the Old Testament. 263, 140, no excuse me, 116 of those is specifically from the book of Psalms, making it the most often quoted when Peter or Paul or whoever refers back to Psalms.

It's the most quoted book from the Old Testament. If you figure that out, it's somewhere close to 44% of the quotes are from specifically the book of Psalms. Now, Jesus referred to the book of Psalms, and the Greek word there Psalmos means songs of praise. The Hebrew titer say fair, meaning a book, say fair tehelim.

Likewise, the songs of praise, songs of prayer, it's in many cases been used as a hymnal for God's people. In fact, if you look in our hymnals, a lot of those are based on so many of the songs. And rightfully so. Sadly, a lot of the music, a lot of the beauty in that regard has been lost, but God's saving that for another time. And what a wonderful time it will be to hear the angelic choir singing those songs as they once upon a time were. Various authors, there are 150 psalms. 73 of them specifically say it is a psalm of David. 73. Now, there are two more that are quoted in the New Testament, and the author will say, as David said, and then it refers back to a psalm that if you go back there, it has, it's anonymous. And so, two places it says, as David wrote, or as it is written, David, and it'll quote from David. So, probably we could say fully a half.

And then there are various other authors who wrote fewer numbers, but then there still is a third, somewhere around 50, are anonymous. We don't know the author. Many of those could have been David's. It could have been some of these other men. But we have Asaph. You will remember Asaph as one of the great musicians of David's day, and he wrote 12.

We had a group called the Sons of Korah, who wrote 9. Solomon wrote 2. There are three other men who wrote one each. There's a man whose name is probably pronounced something like Hemmon, Hemmon the Ezraite. And then there's another one, Ethan the Ezraite. And there's one that is attributed to Moses, the man of God. So, if we look at the dates, and you remember one of those psalms we'll say, and we have the hymn that sings, By the Waters of Babylon, and that's in the captivity era. You have psalms that go back to the 1400s with Moses all the way into the time of the Babylonian captivity, or maybe the first wave or second wave. We're not really certain, but it covers some 800 years. But if we just look at this book and ask the question, what are the benefits of reading from the psalms? What would come to mind for you? And don't be afraid to just offer an answer. I have scratched down 12 or 13 here today. I can go through my list if I need to, but when you turn to the psalms, I read some psalms as I thought about holding rocking a little girl. And I gave a sermon earlier in the year when I had something just told me, go and read Psalm 22. And it was an insight into the very sufferings of Christ. And I built a sermon around that at a time when I was under an unbelievable amount of stress. And it helped to find my focus, find the compass once again. So if you were asked what benefit do you get from reading psalms, what would be your answer? Anyone want to try? Praise to God! All right, let's take that one. I'll agree with that. Once upon a time, I remember and I realized as the years go by, when I say the name Herbert Armstrong, there are fewer and fewer people who know who that was. But I do remember him one time in one of those messages that would go out, be sent out to play in all churches where he got off on prayer and he mentioned that he thought maybe 90% of his prayers were just simply those of giving thanks to and praising God for all of His blessings. And the book of Psalms is filled with that. Just giving thanks. Let's look at Psalm 136.

136 as one of many examples. In this psalm, which no author is given, but this psalm extols God's mercy. And there is a phrase at the latter part, the latter half that is repeated throughout. Verse 1, O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. And that latter part, again, is repeated throughout. O give thanks unto the God of Gods, for His mercy endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of Lords, His mercy endures forever.

To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy endures forever. There are psalms that talk about the many times God would overthrow the enemies of Israel. There were times when David would cry out and talk about God smiting them on the cheek and breaking the teeth of His enemies. And just simply thanking God. I've always thought, wouldn't it be wonderful to know the particulars behind what was happening? First of all, who wrote Psalm 136 and what took place in their life? Because usually, for it to become a passion of the heart, it's based upon experiences that we go through. But this Psalm, so many, many could be turned to as far as just simply praising God. And that's one of the great reasons why the book is here. It teaches us how to praise God. God was the embodiment of everything David wanted to become, wanted to be. Any other thoughts? Encouragement. All the way through, it is a phenomenal book of encouragement. It certainly is. And on any of these, if someone has a suggestion of a particular Psalm that you find to be, we were in Psalm 23, and I think that's one of the classics we would think of. We think of that. The Lord is my Shepherd. Various places it refers to God being our Shepherd. He is the one that guides us through the ups and downs of life, leads us to where we'll have everything prepared, provided. And some of these Psalms, David starts out, and he's in the lowest of lows. But as he works his way through, he will end, and at the end of it, it's positive, and he knows that Christ will return, and God is reigning in his life.

Okay, anything else? Someone else had a hand up.

All right, we're close. So let's go to Psalm 139. God's unwavering faithfulness to His people. Here is a Psalm. It's one of David's. We've got a group here, late in the book. These were all kind of pieced together. Later, it's thought that Ezra was the one piecing them together in the order in which we find them. But in verse 1, Oh, Lord, you have searched me and known me, for you know my down-sitting and my uprising. You understand my thought afar off. You compass my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. So God has sifted David, and He understands his ups and his downs. There's not a word in my tongue, but, oh Lord, you know it altogether.

You have beset me behind them before and laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Where shall I go from your presence? Well, Jonah should have been aware of that. He tried. He got on a quick jet to Tarshish, and it didn't work. If I ascend into heaven, you're there. If I make my bed in hell, down in the grave, you're there. Verse 13, You have possessed my reigns. You covered me and my mother's womb. I will praise you. Verse 14, For I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows right well. Fearfully and wonderfully made.

That's what I'm thinking about those words as well. The more man learns about the human body, the mind, the way it works, the human genome, and all the things that have in the last century or so man's been able to discover. We just marvel, and God knew that. God planned that out in advance.

Designed the human brain, but also with it this spirit in man that draws a line of demarcation between human beings and the animal world. But the wherewithal to receive the very Spirit of God was placed there. So, yes, he ends his psalm here with his prayer. Verse 23, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. I'll suggest one. The psalms teach us how to pray.

How to pray better. Everything is covered in the psalms as far as prayer.

There are times when David approached God when people were trying to kill him. In fact, let's go to Psalm 3. It wasn't just people. It was his own son Absalom and those with him.

And then it says, and I trust everyone realizes where at least I've got, I'm reading from the King James here. I think more modern translations have made that smaller print more the same size font as the rest of the text. But this part under where it says Psalm 3 is in the inspired Hebrew. And in fact, your Jewish translations will have it. This is verse 1 where it says, a psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. And then our verse 1 is there, verse 2. But it just underscores it is in the Hebrew. This is the time when he ran from his son. Not just somebody, not just the king he was going to replace, but one of his own sons.

And you know, people have had strife with children and people have had estranged family relationships. But David knew what it was like to have one of them trying to capture him and having killed. Lord, how are they increased that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against me. Many said, and many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for him and God. You know, many seeking his life saying God can't help him. But you, O God, are a shield for me, my glory, the lifter up of my head. Whatever they throw against me, you're the shield. Whatever comes, glances off because of you, you lift up my head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. Now that word Selah we find throughout the book of Psalms when you get the H on the end. Apparently, it was a type of a musical hold. It's the best that can be discovered, kind of a pause. Now, if you have Selah, the Hebrew word, without the H on the end, as it's transliterated, it means the rock, Petra, as it's called in the Greek. When you have the word Selah, it's probably good to just lift your eyes and ponder that. Let us sink in for a while.

I laid me down and slept. I awake for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about. Here's a son looking for David to take his life, and David comes full circle. It doesn't matter if there are tens of thousands trying to kill me. I have nothing to fear. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God, for you have smitten all my enemies upon the cheekbone. You've broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon your people, Selah.

I think another one is in Psalm 7. This is when he cried out for protection. A lot of the details we are not given, but it was a time when there were some very threatening words from whoever this enemy was just called Cush the Benjamite. We don't know what was said. But in chapter 7, verse 1, O Lord, my God, in you do I put my trust. Save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me, lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces while there's none to deliver. O Lord, my God, if I have done this, if there's be iniquity in my hands, you know, he wanted to know if I am in any way guilty or in part guilty, please let me know.

And you know, that's something we can learn about prayer. We tend to, by nature, we protect ourselves. We defend our own pasts. We defend our actions. The human nature will fight for its life. But in our prayers, I think it'd be good if we'd include, maybe there's something I've done. Maybe I'm partied to this. If so, let me see it. Let me know so that with your help, I can change and become different. Let the enemy persecute my soul and take it. Yes, let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay my honor in the dust.

Selah, arise, O Lord, in your anger. We should go on and on there. There are so, so many. I would like you to keep your place here. Now, we were in Romans a little while ago, but let's look at Romans 8. We'll read a couple of verses above. Romans 8 verses 26 and 27.

It's interesting what is written and how Paul is inspired to insert it here. And if we look at this with regard to prayer, I think there's something that we begin to see. The Spirit of God within us. There are times we go to God. We don't know the answer.

We want to know the answer. We don't know what we should do. We want God to show us. Sometimes we go to God in prayer and we try to tell God what we want Him to do. That's dangerous because there are times when God lets us suffer, because He knows things we won't see unless we hurt for a while. There are times we fast. And I think we have approached God as though, well, we're fasting, so you will give us this. When maybe God's will is, that some other outcome is intended. But there are times we go to God and we don't know how to put it into words. And in verse 26, likewise, the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought. We don't know what it is to pray about it and how we ought to pray about it, what words to use. But the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groaning, which cannot be uttered. Apparently then, God through the Holy Spirit reads the intent of the heart and it is communicated from us to God. Verse 27, and he, now a little later it says, he makes intercession for the saints. And of course, our great intercessor, our great High Priest is Jesus Christ. And he searches the hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. So, to learn to pray is one of the great benefits, one of the great reasons for having the book of Psalms. Any other thoughts? Forgiveness. Psalm 103. To ask for forgiveness. Let's go to Psalm 103.

Tremendously reassuring words here in 103. No sin is too big if we turn to God.

No wall is too high if we ask God to help us get over it. Psalm 103 is Psalm of David.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquities. Iniquities. It's the synonym for sin, transgression. He forgives them all. Who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction.

Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. So even when our life has led us down a path where we're headed for destruction, God can turn that around. He pours out his mercy, demonstrates his love. As we get on down here, we find how far away he removes those sins. Verse 5, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.

The Lord executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. Wow! That one is full of truth that we need. God is in the business of being merciful. As humans, sometimes we tend to slip into the punishment business. God's in the business of forgiving. We need to be as well. There is a time to discipline. God disciplines those children whom he loves. We read that in Hebrews 12. But there are times we may need to discipline. There are times to let things go. There are times to not pick battles. There are but in the process, let us remember God. God is a God of mercy and grace, slow to anger. And that's quoted back in the New Testament, like James. Where do we slow to anger?

Sometimes, as humans, we can be very volatile. We get so embroiled in feelings and emotions.

God is plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide. There are times when we need to be chided. Sometimes He speaks to us through trials and tribulations. Neither will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Well, if He had given us what we deserved, we would have been dead. As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Like a father, like as a father, pities His children, so the Lord pities them that fear Him. He cuddles, He snuggles, He plays with His children. He remembers our frame. He remembers that we are dust. We're here for a while, and then it's over. We're temporary, created beings. So, yes, forgiveness, mercy. How about the answer to why man? Dr. Ward sometimes will talk about those most critical, basic, fundamental questions of life. Does God exist? Who and what is God? But also the same about man. What is man? What is the purpose for human beings? Let's go to Psalm 8. When I read this, I envision seed's thoughts that were sown in David's mind when he was a lad, keeping sheep out in a pasture. Maybe the pasture was his bed as well, and he lay down.

We had an eclipse that took place. We were out west, but we drove up to an area where we would be pretty close to that line. Maybe I'll live long enough to see another one, and maybe not. So, we thought we just will go see this one. So, we drove up around Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

You know, using the glasses, and I don't know if anyone here drove up. You didn't have to go up, you know, Cleveland or on Nashville just above it. It was well worth the time, well, well worth the effort. But using the glasses, and you see the, you know, the shadow coming across, somehow I had in my mind that when there's this full, when it's fully dark, it would last for a while, but it's just seconds, and the show's over, and the sun's glistening off. You know, I had kind of, they call it the diamond effect, where you still see that circle, but then there's that sun showing up on the right-hand side from our point of view. When it was dark, you could see stars around. David, how many times was he out there? He was the bottom of the totem pole, and so maybe the big brothers said, you know, well, handle it, go out and stay with the sheep, look after them, and if anything comes along, kill it. Bear and a lion, but here in Psalm 8, you're the chief musician, and if I can get to the Psalm of David. O Lord, and that's Yahweh, our Lord, Adonai, how excellent is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, and you ordained strength because of your enemies, that you may still or silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him? And the son of man, that you visit him, or you watch over, you inspect him, you look after him, for you have made him a little lower than the angels, and have crowned him with glory and honor.

Man from the very beginning, God said, let us make man in our image and likeness. And those words speak of the eternal potential for human beings to be a part of the very family of God. You made him to have dominion over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet. Just amazes me. It doesn't matter how big the animal is, it seems that man has found a way to master it.

Maybe not by the most sensitive ways, but I remember seeing horses and cattle, well, manhandled, in a rather rough way, a long time ago, as long before they had, and you'll run them down a chute, you've got a squeeze chute, you can even lift it up, turn it on the side, do whatever is necessary. Man trains tigers and lions and elephants. So man's been given this dominion, all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, yea, and beasts of the field, foul of the air, fish of the sea, and whatever passes through the paths of the seas. Oh, Lord our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth! Now, again, keep your place in the Psalms, but let's go to Hebrews 2, because the author of Hebrews quotes from those key verses, and yet he expands on it.

The Apostle Paul is generally thought to be the the author of Hebrews, but the book is not signed, and yet there are a lot of reasons to think Paul. Hebrews chapter 2, let's begin in verse 6.

But one in a certain place testified, saying, what is man that you're mindful of him? So he's quoting from those key verses back in Psalm 8. We just read this, so let's go down, notice toward the end of verse 8. But now we see not yet all things put under him, referring to humankind, but we see Jesus. You see, there was another step that had to be included here. We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels. The angels, as far as the power, the glory that they have right now, they're certainly well above any human being who is of flesh and blood, who has only a limited amount of time to live. For the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. Here it speaks a bit further of the purpose of human beings. For it became him, or it was right, it was proper, fitting, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things. There are plenty of scriptures that tell us that the Word is the One who created all that we see. In bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. He set an example of patient endurance. He is now a high priest. He's able to walk in our shoes, and he's been here. He knows what it feels like. He offered himself the complete sacrifice that human beings, all human beings, would need in order to be brought to glory in the family of God. So the book of Psalms has places where it goes to that. It looks at those great questions. Why, man? Why, Father, do you spend your time thinking about man? Why are you making this investment in human beings, and we find the answers. Any other thoughts? His law, to teach his law. All right? Let's go first to Psalm 19, and then 119. I saw Nancy's hand, and I saw Denise's hand, so please don't let me forget. Psalm 19. This is the Psalm of David. We begin with David glorifying God and the marvelous creation, and he's envisioning how God placed everything out in the universe. Now let's go down to verse 7. The law of the Lord is perfect. And where it says law, it's from the Hebrew Torah. The first five books of the Bible are referred to as the Torah. Converting the soul. The law converts. So with the marginal note restoring, the law restores. It lays out the guidelines. It shows us the path where we should place our feet in walking through life.

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandments of the Lord are pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. That last phrase, a famous American quoted that in a speech. Anyone remember who quoted? The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Abraham Lincoln. Very good. And he was a phenomenal student of the Bible. He was criticized for not being involved in church that much, but he was a tremendous student of the Bible. And Lincoln, in one of his great speeches, quoted that latter part. Let's go to Psalm 119. And I know we've covered this before, but in case someone's not aware of it, well, sadly, there's a poetic beauty that's just simply lost to us. Poetic beauty, written in an alphabetical or acrostic form, there are 22 consonants in the Hebrew alphabet. And you look under Psalm 119, it has that funny little x-looking thing, and it says, "'Ollif.'" That's the first consonant of the Hebrew language. And then you have verses one through eight. Every one of those eight verses begin with the letter "'Ollif.'" Now, again, with translation, it's lost to us. Then after verse eight, you've got another funny-looking little symbol, and it says, "'Beth," or the h is actually silent, so, "'Beth.'" And you have eight more verses, and they all start with, "'Beth.'" Gimmel, Dalit, Havel, all the way through 22. 22 times eight is, quick, 176. I know that because I looked at the end of the book, and the chapter, and there's 176. It's not—I can't do multiplication anymore in my mind. I've been spoiled by calculators. But each letter, a series of eight verses, each beginning with that particular letter. But the whole—the entirety is just glorifying God for His law. You can go if you happen to have, or I believe it's online, the Companion Bible by Bullinger. He—to me, the value of the Companion Bible is this series of something like 150 appendices at the back. Appendix 73, he's got a breakdown of these 10 Hebrew words translated, law, testimony, ways, precepts, statutes, and it's all the way through this psalm. There are only a handful of verses that do not have one of those 10 Hebrew words, or law. So, verse 1, "'Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord.' Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, that seek Him with the whole heart.

They also do no iniquity. They walk in His way." So, there's a lot that is covered here that, if we want to avoid the path of sin, we follow the way. We walk the path of God. But it goes on and has so much, like verse 33, "'Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end.'" Okay, verse 67, "'Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I have kept your word.'" Verse 71, "'It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.'" And that tells us that there are times that we go through trials, tests. There are times when we are afflicted, and God is doing it or God is allowing it because it's only by affliction that we're going to learn His law. Now, which is better? We might cry out, "'Woe is me!' But in the greater scheme of things at the very end, the greater thing is to be afflicted and to learn, to have our eyes open." Verse 97, "'Know how love I your law, it is my meditation all the day.'" 105, "'Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path.'" Even within your own home when it's dark or maybe out in the yard, an area you're very familiar with, if it's dark, dark, there may be something there that you don't see. But it just takes... the word actually means candle. It's a lamp. It's a candle. And a candle just gives out a little light. But that's important. That's important to have enough to know where to place your feet as you walk through life. Okay, yes, Nancy. All right, very good. To show us why God considered David as a man after his own heart. And that sets a pattern for us. David made a lot of mistakes.

So have we. We can't cast stones at him. That's not why I said that. But his are written down in 1 and 2 Samuel. And we wouldn't want our sins to be just written down for all humanity. And he made some horrible mistakes. And once in a while, we scratch our heads wondering how could he have gotten so far from God. But once again, no sins too great. The heart was there that when, well, in the most famous example, when Nathan the prophet said, you are the man, David recognized it and it was a passion of the heart. And God read that from his heart. Probably through the working of the Holy Spirit, which he prayed, don't take your spirit from me. And God told Nathan to go back and let him know your sins forgiven. But the child, there still is a penalty. That child died. With David, there is, I mean, you can look, like when the Ark was brought up and he was just so excited. Here is this Ark that has the mercy seat on top that symbolizes where God himself is seated.

And the carobene of gold with the wings and the tablets with the Ten Commandments. And what else was there? Aaron's rod that budded. The golden pot of manna. I mean, manna that normally would breed worms and stink the next day. It was an ongoing perpetual miracle that did not happen. You had the sacred fire that was a part of that. After Solomon's Temple was destroyed, it was no longer around. David saw all of that and he was so excited. It was like, legs don't fill me now. He got out there dancing for all he was worth. And you remember how his wife Michael despised him for that. But David didn't care. This Ark that symbolized, well, it was one of the great types of Jesus Christ. It symbolized everything. It was the sum total of God and his way. And David was so excited. So when it got down to it, David made mistakes. But when I like the way that with the prodigal son and the King James, it says, when he came unto himself, a lot of times David came unto himself and he understood, he learned, and he changed until the next mistake. But then he changed again. And God honored him for having a heart that he could work with. Denise, did you have one? All right, let's go to Psalm 91. So reassurance that God is caring for us, that God is there for us, that he delivers us. Psalm 91, we are not given the author. The one before is the one that is attributed to Moses.

Some have called this a psalm of the place of safety. He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him will I trust.

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall trust. His truths shall be your shield and buckler. Though you be not afraid, you shall not be afraid, for the terror by night nor by the arrow that flies by day nor the pestilence that walks in darkness nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Now, there are a couple of books there was one came out years ago. Well, it just uses that phrase from verse 7, a thousand shall fall. I've got a copy of that if anybody wants to read it, but it's about a German family inside Nazi Germany during World War II. They're Adventists and the man was conscripted into the army and he refused to carry a weapon. Now, it kind of sounds like some of you may have seen the movie, what is it, Hacksaw Ridge, based on, I forget the book, is a book named that?

That was of one who would not carry a firearm. Well, the man in during World War II, he was issued a sidearm, a pistol, and I forget what he was, I think maybe he was in the medical area, medic or something, but he was required to wear that holster while he fashioned from wood something that would look like he had a pistol in it, and that's what he wore. But it was a fascinating story. It was written by, I think, a granddaughter and how the family was there in a remote area, rural area, and it would have been the bleakest of times because everything was being taken for the war effort, but there'd be just enough potatoes to feed him today, or there'd be something else, or maybe another neighbor, and somehow they got through it, and this man went all the way through, and he would not bear a weapon, he would not bear arms against others. This, A Thousand Shall Fall, was used as a title. And then this Desmond Doss with this Hacksaw Ridge, likewise one who would not, and yet received the highest honor there for his actions there at Okinawa. And how he was up there behind the lines, they were overrun by Japanese, and he would go and find wounded comrades at arms and take them over the side time in a rope and let them down this long cliff down to the bottom where the others would end. Say you die, forget how many, 75 or some huge number. But the point was, God will deliver us. He is there, and sometimes we forget that, and we tend to look around us at the here and the now, and forget that God is watching over us in a remarkable way. Let's see if I've got anything else we haven't covered here. How about to anticipate the Kingdom? There are a lot of areas that look prophetically. In fact, as we are right here, Psalm 93, you've got this little subsection of 93 through 100 that repeatedly uses this phrase, the Lord reigns, and it's prophetically looking to a time of the reign of Christ over the earth. So Psalm 93, the Lord reigns. He is clothed with majesty. The Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith He has girded Himself. The world also established that it cannot be moved. So we must be looking at a millennial reign because the world around us is a very dangerous place. Your throne is established of old, and you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord. The floods have lifted up their voice. The floods lift up their waves. Well, there are a number of places where it talks about floods as being likened to human armies.

Revelation from the dragon's mouth go these floods, and he's referring to armies of man. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.

94, verse 2, lift up yourself, you judge of the earth. Render a reward to the proud. How long shall the wicked triumph? 94, verse 12, Blessed is the man whom you chasten, O Lord. Teach him out of your law, that you may give him rest from the days of adversity till the pit be digged for the wickedly, the pit, the sheol, the grave.

95, verse 2, let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. Chapter 96, verse 10, say among the nations the Lord reigns. On 97, the Lord reigns. So you've got that theme repeated here.

You have actually, and I know we've covered this before, you have five books within the Psalms. If you have the old King James, it won't be mentioned, but if you have one of the, I mean, the old, if you have a new King James or some of the more modern translations, it will clearly mark it as book one of the Psalms is Psalm 1 through 41. And book two, then, is 42 through, I think, 89. But anyhow, you have those divisions, and look it up in the Life Application Bible. They've got a section here at the beginning, looking at those five, and parallels back to one of the books of the Pentateuch, and God creating man and promising redemption, and then giving the law, and just follows it all the way through. And then, toward the end of the book, so many places that talk about God reigning, and righteousness reigning. We talked about forgiveness. Of course, you've got the two great Psalms that speak about forgiveness, repentance, seeking God's mercy. Psalm 32 and Psalm 51, two of David's Psalms. Let's go to Psalm 17. There's a little comment that is made in passing here, that God would keep us as the apple of the eye. Psalm 17, and let's read verse 8. This is a prayer of David. Keep me as the apple of the eye. Hide me from under the shadow of your wings. There are a number of places that talk about God gathering us, hiding us under His wings. But the apple of the eye. That one we puzzle over a bit. You look in commentaries that generally say, well, that's the pupil. That's, you know, that aperture there in the iris that opens up and allows light to go in and be read from the retina and transmitted. The apple of the eye. You know, our vision is something that we try to protect as much as we can. You know, we've got a family with a family member deeply concerned about the possibility of losing vision in an eye. We don't want our eyes to be injured. I haven't been very successful with that. And with my left eye. There was metal pulled out of it once pounding on something on a farm, the farm anvil. There was glass pulled out of it once or twice. There was a construction accident that broke a hard contact lens and they pulled a triangular piece of an old hardened contact that was stuck into the lens of the eye. And there's been laser surgery and cataract surgery and torn retina surgery. Other than that, everything's fine. But it's an awful thing to have an eye injured, except we need to find the humorous side out of life. When I had torn retina surgery and they're wheeling me out of the hospital in Kingsport, Tennessee in a patch and, you know, all this bandage around my head, as they were pushing me and Denise walking beside me, I'd wait until we were near a couple. And then I would say, no, I've ridden with you before. I'm driving home. And one from that couple always thought it was hilarious and the other one thought, well, so you've got to have fun with life. Why not? I'm not sure there was a point to that story, but it's a true one. Let's go back to Apple of the eye. All right, Apple comes from a little Hebrew word ishon. I-S-H-O-N. Now, you will remember back in Genesis 2 where Adam named the animals. Let me find, I'll find the wording for you. You don't feel you need to turn back there. God brought the woman to the man and in verse 23 Adam said, this is now a bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman. And in my King James, it has a marginal note ishah, I-S-H with an A, because she was taken out of man. And the marginal note says ish, I-S-H. Well, this is a related word that's back here in Psalm 17 ishon.

And some translated pupil of the eye, some even suggest it means the little man. Now, let me read you a little bit from Albert Barnes' notes on the Old Testament on this verse 17, verse 8. He said the literal translation would be, keep me as the little man, the daughter of the eye. The word apple applied to the eye means the pupil, the aperture in the middle through which rays of light pass to form an image on the retina. Why it is called apple of the eye, lexicographers fail to tell us. The Hebrew word ishon means properly a little man, and is given to the apple or pupil of the eye. And then he says, in which, as in a mirror, a person sees his own image reflected in miniature. So the prayer of the psalmist here is that God would guard him as one guards his own sight, an object so dear and valuable to him. Now, a few weeks ago, I had the most glorious day with a beautiful little girl who was teething, low-grade fever, and she basically relaxed when she was on her granddad's very hard, strong, muscular, well, soft stomach and chest. And we spent a few hours that way that day. Now, I have to admit, I was glad when her mother came in at noon. I was glad when her mother came in at five, but that's beside the point. We had a great day. And sometimes she'd be, she had that pacifier. And I had her close, and I'd look down at her and look into her eyes. And, you know, you get up close to somebody, and if, in a certain way, you can look and see, as it were, your own reflection coming off of their eyes. And I did that with her, as I did with her mother 30-some years earlier, and her two uncles. And it felt good.

And I like to think of that word picture. Sometimes life just storms all over us. And sometimes there's a truck involved in running over us. And we get a case of the woe is mace.

And if we think of that, keep me as the apple of your eye. I think that David was crying out to God, watch over me, watch over Israel so intently that if it were possible, we would look up, and from the reflection on your eye, see our own little man being reflected back to us. That's a passage in the Psalms that I cherish, and I like to ponder from time to time. We gather here before Almighty God. We are the ones who were drawn by the Father. We were called. We were chosen. We had our sins forgiven. The Spirit of God was poured out upon us. The law was written on our hearts. And we gather here on the Sabbath, and we all have our own stories of the highs and the lows of this last week or month or year. We all have those. There are times when it is only human to wonder if God is there. We wonder those little. We have those little thoughts. God, are you there? Do you care? Do you love me? Are you still working in my life? And I like to think of this. Keep me as the apple of the eye, because it reminds us that were it possible, we'd look up and there'd be our Heavenly Father and our elder brother watching over so closely. And there is a place, I think it's in Zechariah, that it says, that He who touches you touches the apple of my eye. And God notices, and God's concerned for that. So, have a wonderful day. Rest of the Sabbath, and we'll look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks, and then on the day of peace of trumpets.