Faith The Evidence - Bible Studies: February 2018

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Psalms: A Guide To Prayer And Praise - Session 6 - Psalm 51 A Prayer For Forgiveness

The Church of Divine Guidance Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study Group studying the book Psalms: A Guide to Prayer and Praise by Ron Klug. The Psalms are some of the most widely read and best-loved portions of the Bible. For thousands of years these songs of faith have spoken to the hearts and minds of people around the world. The Psalms are songs–music our spirits sing to the Creator. They are poems–full of vibrant imagery and strong rhythms. And they are prayers–our deepest emotions expressed to the Lord who feels with us. Most importantly, the Psalms are God’s Word to us, revealing the truth about him and our relationship with him. Study along with us by getting a copy of the book by clicking this LINK or the image of the book at the end of the study notes.

If you can remember back to our first session we said that there several different styles of Psalms.

hymns of praise. Our first three sessions, Psalms 8, 19, and 33 were hymns of praise.
laments (a cry of pain or struggle from an individual or group) Psalms 22, 42, and 43 which we studied in the last two sessions were laments.
penitential psalms (a cry of remorse, seeking forgiveness)
songs of thanksgiving
songs of trustwisdom psalms (expressing truths about life)

The Psalm that we are going to talk about today, Psalm 51 is a penitential Psalm meaning it is a cry of remorse, seeking forgiveness.

1. What is your understanding or definition of sin?

Dictionary - An immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law

Sin is described in the Bible as

transgression of the law of God

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

1 John 3:4 NIV

rebellion against God

Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord .

Deuteronomy 9:7 NIV

Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!”

Joshua 1:18 NIV

In this Psalm David freely admitted his sin and asked God for mercy and forgiveness. The occasion of David's remorse is his adultery with Bathsheba and the conspiracy in the death of her husband Uriah, which for all intents and purposes was murder.

David, king of Israel, wrote this psalm after being confronted by the prophet Nathan about his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband.

The background:

The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despise me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ” Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord .” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord , the son born to you will die.”

2 Samuel 12:1-14 NIV

READ PSALM 51:1–12

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51:1-12 NIV

2. What four things did the psalmist ask for in verses 1 and 2?

● Mercy

● Blot out his transgressions

● Wash his iniquity

● Cleanse him

What did he admit about himself?

He admitted that he had blown it and sinned. He was a sinner.

3. What was his attitude toward his wrongdoing?

He admitted it and he couldn't forget it. He knew that while his sin affected others that it was first of all a transgression against God’s laws and was rebellion against God. He also knew that whatever punishment that God wished to execute was appropriate.

What deep conviction did he express in verse 5?

He knew that he had a sin nature from birth.

4. What gave the psalmist the courage to come before God and ask for forgiveness and cleansing?

Although he was sinful God still wanted him to be faithful and even before he was born God taught him wisdom.

5. List the imperatives or requests in verses 7–12.

● Cleanse

● Wash

● Let

● Hide

● Blot out

● Create

● Renew

● Restore

● Grant

What was the writer asking God to do for him in each of these prayers?

He was asking God to restore him to a place with God that he had before this transgression.

6. How do you understand verse 8?

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Psalm 51:8 NIV

He wanted to know that God had forgiven him. God’s voice of forgiveness. That is, the voice of forgiveness, causing joy and rejoicing. What he wished to hear was the kind voice of God in pronouncing his pardon; not the voice of anger and condemnation. God now condemned him. The law condemned him. His own conscience condemned him. The result was anguish and sorrow. The burden was great and overpowering - such as to crush him; to break all his "bones." He longed to hear the sweet voice of forgiveness, by which he might have peace, and by which his soul might be made to rejoice. - From Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Why does salvation bring joy (verses 8,12)?

Because you know that you have been forgiven.

7. Looking back over verses 6–12, when we ask God to deal with our sin, what negative actions should we ask for?

● Brokenness

● Discipline

What positive actions?

● Restore

● Forgive

● More kingdom responsibility

READ PSALM 51:13–19.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Psalm 51:13-19 NIV

8. How did the psalmist respond in verses 13–15?

When God cleanses and restores he will testify of God’s goodness praising Him.

How can a forgiven sinner effectively teach other sinners God’s ways?

By giving your own life’s story

9. What kinds of sacrifices please God?

He doesn't want a show, He wants your heart.

Isaiah 1:11-15 NIV “The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord . “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!

He didn’t say they weren’t bringing their sacrifices and offerings, in fact they were bringing them. They were observing the festivals and feasts that God directed them to keep but because of their lifestyle He didn’t want to have anything to do with their worship.

What is the right attitude in which to make them?

Isaiah 1:16-17 NIV Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings

Micah 6:8 NIV He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

10. Are you personally more in danger of underestimating your sins or overestimating them?

I am in more danger of underestimating them.

Explain.

There are things that I have done and some I still do that I try to justify and I know that it's rebellion. I have to constantly ask forgiveness and deliverance to the point sometime I really wonder if I really want deliverance. Father please forgive me for that kind of thinking because it’s dangerous. Please deliver me.

11. Discuss the statement: “Purity as well as pardon is the desire of the true penitent.”

Asking forgiveness is great but better yet is, after asking for and receiving forgiveness, is to repent. When you repent you have sincere regret and remorse. It means to change your mind and go in a different direction.

The Greek word for “pure” is katharos. It means to be “clean, blameless, unstained from guilt.”

Pray that God will continue to show you the sin in your life and give you grace to deal with it.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Psalms: A Guide To Prayer And Praise Session 5 - Psalm 22 Where Are You God?

Last week we looked at Psalms 42 and 43 they were a personal cry to God from someone who was despondent and depressed because he was not able to get to the Temple and to God’s presence.

He’s hounded by enemies who are keeping him from making the trip.

Even when we pray we wonder if God has forgotten us, does He hear us, does He care? All the time our enemies are taunting us. Pointing and saying if God loves so much why are you sick, broke, alone, sad, and discouraged? Even in the face of those taunts we can say that our hope and trust is in God.

Our longing for God’s presence is overwhelming until we remember who God is. And He loves us. We remember that He said that He would never leave us.

Psalm 42 and 43 both end in hope and.

Psalm 42:11 (NLT) Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

Psalm 43:5 (NLT) Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

This Psalm 22 isn’t much different in that it is written by someone who’s desperate. Psalms 42 and 43 were written by sons of Korah who served as temple musicians. Psalm 22 was written by David. All three are examples of lament, a personal cry to God in time of trouble.

This psalm can be seen as a personal lament and as a messianic psalm (one that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ and his reign). The psalmist is speaking of his own condition—himself. But at another level, the psalm expresses Israel’s deep longing for a Messiah or Savior. It also paints a prophetic and vivid picture of Christ crucified.

The popular axiom called Murphy’s Law fits the psalmist’s situation here well: If anything can go wrong, it will. He is surrounded by some rather vicious enemies, and it just seems to be getting worse. He musters up the wherewithal to offer a desperate prayer and soon finds a way not out of the situation, but through it, to God.

1. How would you counsel someone who felt abandoned by God?

There were some suggestions in Psalms 42 and 43. The were the answer to question #12 in last week's study:

● Desperately seek to get into God’s presence.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 42:1-2 NIV

● Remember

Psalm 42:4 NIV These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

Psalm 42:6-8 NIV My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.

● Place your hope

Psalm 42:5 NIV Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:11 NIV Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 43:5 NIV Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

● Praise

Psalm 42:5 NIV Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 43:4 NIV Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

READ PSALM 22:1–8

Psalm 22:1-8 NIV My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord ,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

2. What was the writer’s emotional state at the beginning of this psalm? What was his attitude toward God?

He’s depressed, thinking that he is all alone. He can't sleep.

He knows that God is God and that He is his nation's God and that He had delivered them time and time again. He does trust God.

3. When have you felt like this? What caused those feelings?

When I have been unemployed and in financial trouble are the times I’ve felt like David.

4. How did the psalmist attempt to handle this feeling of being forsaken by God?

He remembered who God is.

Psalm 22:3-5 NIV Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

What is the significance of the word yet in verse 3?

Even though David was feeling that he was all alone He still knew that God was still in control because He was God. He remembered God and His greatness, even when immersed in suffering. He did not curse or blaspheme God, and he knew that his present agony did not change God's holiness

5. How does the record of God’s help toward others make the psalmist feel?

Psalm 22:4-5 NIV In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

Made him feel unworthy

Why?

He said as much in the next verses

Psalm 22:6-8 NIV But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord ,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

READ PSALM 22:9–18.

Psalm 22:9-18 NIV Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

6. Despite his own feelings and the mockery of others, what did the psalmist realize is verses 9 and 10?

Psalm 22:9-10 NIV Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Even though others were saying this God he trusts doesn't seem to be doing anything for him. Let's see it.

What was his prayer?

His prayer was for protection and deliverance.

Psalm 22:11 NIV Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

7. Many graphic metaphors are used to describe the psalmist’s enemies. In one word or phrase, summarize the psalmist’s situation.

Grave danger

Jesus quoted from this psalm in

● verse 1 - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? - And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ).Mark 15:34 NIV

These verses also describe Jesus’s crucifixion.

● Verse 14 - I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. - Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. John 19:34 NIV

● Verse 15 - My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. - Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” John 19:28 NIV

● Verse 17 - All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. - Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him. Matthew 27:39-44 NIV

● Verse 16 - Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. -Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. Mark 15:29-32 NIV

● Verse 17 - All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. - Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”John 19:31-37 NIV

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified
Jesus, took His garments and made four parts,
to each soldier a part, and also the tunic.

● Verse 18 - They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. - When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. John 19:23-24 NIV

READ PSALM 22:19–31

Psalm 22:19-31 NIV But you, Lord , do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. You who fear the Lord , praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord , and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

8. In anticipation of God’s help, the writer resolved to praise God among his fellow believers in the congregation. How did he fulfill this promise?

He encouraged the people to praise God by speaking directly to them. Because God had not forsaken him.

Psalm 22:23-24 NIV You who fear the Lord , praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

9. What reasons did the psalmist have for praising God?

He had not left him. He had not turned on him because he was suffering. Infact he had heard and helped him.

Psalm 22:24 NIV For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

How would you summarize his personal testimony?

God had always come to his rescue.

10. What is the psalmist’s vision of the future in verses 27–31?

Psalm 22:27-31 NIV All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord , and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

That everything and everyone will eventually praise God.

How does this vision of the future compare with your own?

That is my view.

Romans 14:11 NIV It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ”

Philippians 2:9-11 NIV Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Romans 8:28-30 NIV And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

11. Psalm 22 begins in a mood of despair and ends on a note of triumph. What do you think enabled the psalmist to move into positive affirmation?

His praise focused his attention on God and who he was and what he had done.

Psalm 22:22-23, 25-31 NIV I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. You who fear the Lord , praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord , and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

12. What clues does this psalm give as to what we can do when we are feeling forsaken by God?

Focus on God and remember what he's done for you and for others. Remember that He has always been and will always be with you. Praise Him and encourage others to praise Him.

Bible Study Audio

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Psalms: A Guide To Prayer And Praise - Session 4 - Psalms 42 And 43 - A Personal Cry

When the going gets tough, the tough get going, we’re told. But often tough times stop us in our tracks, raising doubts and questions. How good it is to know that we can bring our questions to God and trust in his unfailing love.

These psalms were written by the sons of Korah who served as temple musicians. Most scholars think that Psalms 42 and 43 were originally one psalm, as they contain several repeated choruses and thoughts. This is an example of a lament, a personal cry to God in time of trouble.

1. When you are depressed or lonely, do you turn to God or away from him? Why?

Now I turn to God. I used to turn away but getting mad at God and trying things my way didn't work. They may have seemed to work temporarily but not completely or permanently. I learned through reading and experience that only God has the complete and permanent solution. It may not be or have been what I thought was best but the greatest thing that I got or get when I turn to God is peace.

In my blog I have a section that I call FTE Psalm of the Week, where I highlight a different Psalm each week Psalm 42 was my Psalm of the Week last August 7th. (Psalm 43 FTE Psalm Of The Week - Longing For God)

Here’s what I wrote

In this psalm the psalmist is despondent because he can’t go to the Temple as he has been able to in the past. He’s hounded by enemies who are keeping him from making the trip.

Our longing for God’s presence is overwhelming until we remember who God is. And He loves us. We remember that He said that He would never leave us.

1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)⁹ God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)⁶ So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

While we search for God’s presence we remember the times when when we felt His presence in our lives without the trials and tribulations of this word. We then remember Jesus’ promise

John 16:33 (NLT)³³ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Like the psalmist we conclude that even in times of trouble we are not alone and we can say with him; “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!”

Psalm 42

Psalm 42:1-11 NIV As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

2. What vivid picture did the psalmist use to express his longing for God?

Our longing for God’s presence just like a deer racing to water to quench its thirst. Like a child longing for their mother. Like a man or woman longing for their spouse.

Have you ever experienced this thirst for God? Explain.

3. Why was the psalmist downcast?

The psalmist is despondent because he can’t go to the Temple as he has been able to in the past. He’s hounded by enemies who are keeping him from making the trip.

4. Faced with depression and the mocking of his enemies, what did the psalmist do?

He praised God and put His trust in Him. He encouraged himself in the Lord.

1 Samuel 30:1-6 NIV David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

What encouraging memories of worship or other religious experience can you recall?

When I was between jobs and I didn't panic where at previous times I did because I looked at the situation and didn't delight myself in the Lord.

5. When the writer felt depressed and overwhelmed by life, what did he remember (verses 6–8)? How constant was God’s care?

First, will I remember the land Jordan; that is, I will remember the great goodness of God in drying up the river Jordan, that so the tribes of Israel might pass over to the promised land:

Joshua 3:14-17 NIV So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Then, I will remember the land of the Hermonites; in that land were Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan,

Joshua 12:1-5 NIV These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah: Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge—from the middle of the gorge—to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead. He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah. And the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salekah, all of Bashan to the border of the people of Geshur and Maakah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

Deep calleth unto deep. What's that? The psalmist is falling to deeper and deeper into despair. Even so he knows that God will catch because He loves him. That love is never ending hence the references of both day and night

Affliction may put out our candle, but if it cannot silence our song we will soon light the candle again. And my prayer unto the God of my life. Prayer is yoked with praise. He who is the living God, is the God of our life, from him we derive it, with him in prayer and praise we spend it, to him we devote it, in him we shall prefect it.

6. What range of feelings do you sense in the psalmist’s intense questions in verses 9–11?

Psalm 42:9-11 NIV I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

He feels that God may have forgotten him He's depressed, he wants to know why this is happening. Yet there is hope.

7. What was the basis of his hope?

Go back to our answers to question 5 he remembered and then praised God.

Psalm 43

Psalm 43:1-5 NIV Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked. You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

8. List the three things the psalmist asked God to do for him in verse. What is the meaning of the word vindicate?

Vindicate means to clear of accusation or blame; to justify and support.

He is still depressed in this Psalm too. He’s being hounded by enemies like in Psalm 42.

● Vindicate him -We who are saved have been justified, or vindicated by or through faith Romans 5:1-2 NIV. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

● Plead his cause - Jesus is our advocate 1 John 2:1-2 NIV My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

● Rescue him - Jesus redeems or rescues us from the curse of sin. Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.!

9. The psalmist repeated some questions in verse 2. How do you think God feels about our asking questions like these?

Psalm 43:2 NIV You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?

God wants us to be real with Him. Remember our stuy Prayer Begins With Relationship? We had a Session Stop Faking It.

No more faking feeling fine. When we become convinced that God is really our friend, which is what we talked about last week we really know how He feels about us and the we can talk to Him about anything. Well we can look to Jesus as our example of being open with our friends. He permitted Himself to express a full range of emotions, positive ones like joy, love, and compassion and some we would consider negative like, anger, indignation, and impatience.

This is the prayer of a man who is not afraid to let his friend know what he is feeling.

Psalm 5:1-12 NIV Listen to my words, Lord , consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, Lord , you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord , detest. But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, Lord , in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord , you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

10. The writer expressed two needs in verse 3. Why were these important to him?

Psalm 43:3 NIV Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

The needs are for God to care for him and to lead him to God’s presence. He was depressed as in Psalm 42 so He needed God’s presence.

11. What evidence do you see that the writer’s attitude changed during the psalm?

When he got to the temple, into God’s presence he started to praise Him.

Psalm 43:4 NIV Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

12. What practical suggestions for handling feelings of depression are offered in these psalms?

● Desperately seek to get into God’s presence.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 42:1-2 NIV

● Remember

Psalm 42:4 NIV These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

● Place your hope

Psalm 42:5 NIV Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:11 NIV Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 43:5 NIV Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

● Praise

Psalm 42:5 NIV Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 43:4 NIV Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

13. Why does God sometimes seem to be far from us?

How can we experience more fully the presence of God?