What does God do to help us grow through difficulties?
Psalm 59, I Samuel 19
David asks for God’s deliverance: “deliver me, save me, help me”
We need to trust God in our difficulties
He is our strength and defense
God stays with us even when others betray us.
David sings praises about God’s mercy, defense, and strength.
Psalm 58
vs. 1-5 - David’s Complaint
vs. 6-9 - David’s Consideration
vs. 10-11 - David’s Comfort
Three Ways Anger is Communicated:
1. Through What is Said
2. Through How it is Said
3. Through the Way it is Said
What is Bad Anger? Bad anger is bad emotional anger to hurt someone.
What is Good Anger? Good emotional anger will help to solve a problem or situation.
Four Questions to Ask When You are Angry:
1. Are you getting angry at the person or the problem?
2. Are you getting angry in the wrong way? Are you being destructive or constructive?
3. Are you getting angry for the wrong reason? For your own rights or is it for God’s righteousness?
4. Are you getting angry at the wrong time? Are you responding before you have all the facts?
Romans 13:19 - Avenge not yourself. Vengence is the Lords.
When Does Anger Become Sin?
- When we allow evil to overcome good.
- When we get angry at a person and not the problem that caused it
- When we are destructive when angry
- When we have responded in the wrong way without the facts first
Psalm 57
Background Information:
I Samuel 22 and 24: David finds refuge in caves as he is running for his life, away from King Saul.
Chapter Outline:
Prayer of the Afflicted
Place of Safety
Perspective of the Saint
Pain of Slander
Purpose of Traps
Persistence in Worship
Psalm 56
Fear is a Poor Counselor
Fear Causes Problems in our Lives
Fear Changes our Behavior in a Bad Way
Background info: David is fleeing for his life from King Saul, in fear. He goes to Philistine territory where the people recognize him as the killer of Goliath. David pretends to be insane, and they cast him out of the territory.
In this chapter, David tells God that his enemies fight him daily and twist his words. At the end of the chapter, David says he trusts in God. He acknowledges that God is for him.
Hebrews 11:6 - He that hath faith pleases God.
God will never leave you nor forsake you.
God’s thoughts are peaceful toward us.
Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what we can see.
Psalm 55: 22-23
22 - God promises to never suffer the Righteous to be moved and to sustain us.
We are to cast our burdens on Him.
23 - David says he will trust in the Lord.
Background Information:
2 Samuel 17-18
Ahithophel, David’s father-in-law, ends up hanging himself when things don’t go his way.
Because of his bitterness and his feelings of betrayal, Ahithophel misses his great grandson, Solomon, be
the king.
Absalom (David’s son) has his army fight against David’s army
20,000 people die because of unforgiveness between the two of them.
God planted the acorn at the perfect place and time to snare Absalom years later in the tree.
Joab kills Absalom, against David’s wishes, while he is hanging in the oak tree.
Proverbs 18:19 - We should not harbor the offenses that others do toward us, as it puts us into our own prison.
When we forgive others, then we are free.
The worst prison is an unforgiven heart.
Ahithophel’s feelings = death
Absalom’s rebellion = death
Psalm 55: 8-21
Section Outline:
vs. 8-19 - A Broken Relationship
vs. 20-21 - Bitter Betrayal
In these verses, David asks God to avenge those that are against him. Those that were once friends (Ahithophel), and his son, Absalom. David states he would rather have enemies hate him than his friend and son.
David is giving Ahithophel and Absalom over to God because they will not change, and because they do not fear God.
Background info: 2 Samuel 15-17
Romans 2 - God lets you go down the path of sin, so that you can choose between your sin destroying you, or choose to turn back to God.
Psalm 55: 1-7
Outline for the entire chapter:
1-7: A Broken Heart
8-19: Broken Relationships
20-21: Bitterness and Betrayal
22-23: Bad Endings
Background information in 2 Samuel 13-28
- David’s son, Absalom, kills his brother, Amnon, for raping his sister
- Absalom runs to his grandfather, Ahithophel, and stays with him for three years
- David misses Absalom and wants him to come back to Jerusalem
- Absalom stays in Jerusalem for two years before seeing his father
- They finally see each other, and David expresses his love to Absalom.
- Even though David loves Absalom, Absalom wants his father killed so that he can be the king.
- Absalom and Ahithophel torment David over his past sins
- Absalom is killed by David’s men, against David’s wishes.
vs. 1 and 2: David asks God to hear his prayer
vs. 4: David says his heart is broken. (Absalom is fighting against him)
vs. 3: Even though his past sins keep being brought up, David knows that he repented of them and was forgiven by God.
vs. 5: David says he is very afraid
Psalm 53
.vs. 1 - No God = communism/socialism. Grounded in evolution
vs. 2-3- Everyone at one time or another knows there is a God.
It is our responsibility to teach the next generation
It is their choice to heed and pass it on
Instead they push away and become “filthy”
vs 4 - Sinners have knowledge - They choose not to pay attention to it
vs. 5 - There will be great fear of God one day
vs. 6 - We have to come back to God
Psalm 54: Will God Deliver Me When I’m Trapped by my Enemy
Background info: I Samuel 23: 14-28
vs. 1 - David seeks for god to save him
vs. 2 - We always want to be in a place where God hears our prayers
vs. 3 - God wants to hear our heart
vs. 4 - David is confident of God’s help
vs. 5 - God will cut off my enemies
vs. 6 - Key word is “FREELY”
He came willingly
vs. 7 - He has delivered us: Past, Present, Future
The Lord will take care of “it”.
Psalms 52:1-9
vs 1 - Mischief equals harm
vs. 2 - His tongue works deceitfully
vs. 3 - The mighty man uses his tongue in deceit
vs. 4-5 - David trusts God to avenge him
vs. 6 - The righteous have discernment
vs. 7 - Desire of covetousness
vs. 8 - David is trusting in the mercy of the Lord
vs. 9 - David is waiting on the Lord
Psalms 51: 5-19
Does God give us no way out of failure?
The Lord sent Nathan to David (a gift of God)
vs 1-4 - A bringing about of known sin
vs. 5 - He is a sinner
vs. 6 - He sees his own depravity
vs. 7 - He wants the Lord to clean him and announce him clean
vs. 8 - We can feel the pain that our sin has caused others. Brokenness is a work and act of God
vs. 9-10 - Make something new in me. A New Heart
vs. 11 - Deal with me not like those who reject God
vs. 12 - Restore unto me the JOY of my salvation
vs. 13-16 - David was guilty of Uriah’s blood.
God never measures the sacrifice. He looks at the heart.
vs. 17 - The sacrifice is supposed to produce a broken spirit, and a contrite heart. Now He can use us.
vs. 18-19 - He can work in us now. He can use us. We are more useful when we are broken.
Psalm 51
The Road to Restoration Continues
Background setting: 2 Samuel 12
vs. 11 - God anounces His punishment through Nathan the prophet
vs 14 - David’s testimony causes the unsaved to blaspheme God
David’s son is born, but dies as punishment.
Sin always leaves a path of destruction.
Psalm 51
1-6 - The acknowledgement process
David says Blot out my transgressions, Wash me, Cleanse me, I acknowledge my sins.
John 3:20 When we sin, we cover the Light. People don’t come to the light because no one wants to deal with their sins and be reproved.
God always forgives when we are repentant.
Psalm 51
The road to restoration from sin.
We study the setting of this chapter after David commits adultery with Bathsheba and then has her husband, Uriah, murdered. 2 Samuel 11 and 12.
Unconfessed sin makes you useless.
After Nathan’s proclamation of David’s sin, David acknowledges that he sinned against God.
Psalm 50
vs. 1-6- The Judge
vs. 7-16 - The Jew
vs. 17-22 - The Hypocrite
vs. 23 - The Verdict
Psalm 49
vs. 10-13 - The Reality of the Rich
vs. 14-15 - Who will have power over who?
vs. 16-20 - The rich and famous become nobody in hell
Psalm 49
Chapter Outline
vs. 1-4 - Introduction
vs. 5 - Problem
vs. 6-20 - Answer
Worldly wealth is fleeting.
Proverbs 23:4-5 Riches fly away like eagles
I Samuel 2:7-8 The Lord makes the poor and the rich
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and He adds no sorrow to it
Problem: The oppressor (the wealthy wicked) causes us to fear
Wealth can not secure our eternity vs. 6
I Timothy 6:6-7 godliness with contentment is great gain
We cannot take our belongings with us after death
The love of money is the root of all evil.
Matthew 16:26 For what does it profit if a man gains the whole world, but loses his own soul?
Isaiah 51:6 My salvation will last forever, everything on earth will go away.
Psalm 48
Setting: The Angel of the Lord just killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian army, causing a great victory for the Hezekiah.
The Psalm opens with great praise to God, mentioning Mt. Zion.
Where is Mt. Zion? Micah 4:2 & Zechariah 9:9 - Mt. Zion is the same as Jerusalem
vs 3. God is our Refuge.
vs. 4-6 The people that come up against Jerusalem are filled with fear.
vs 7 God is given credit for sinking a ship with the wind that God creates.
Isaiah 66:7, Jeremiah 31:35 - Give God praise for His deliverance.
Give God praise for the sun, moon, and stars. God says the sun and moon would have to stop shining and all the stars would have to be numbered before Israel would stop being a nation.
Israel is God’s possession and so are we.
vs. 8-9 God loves us
vs. 10-13 God promises to keep Israel as a nation
vs. 14 God is our guide, even to death.
Hebrews 2:15 Jesus’ death causes Satan’s death.
Psalm 47
Chapter Outline
vs. 1 - There is a Struggle
vs. 2-5 - There is a Savior
vs. 6- 8 - There is a Song
vs. 9 - There is a Shield
How to Respond:
vs. 1 and 6 - clap, shout, sing: TO GOD
vs. 3-4 “He shall.” The people know God will give them the victory. The praises to God were before He even did anything.
Isaiah 40:29 - God gives power to the weak, but they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.
3 Choices with Difficulties:
Surrender/Resist/Wait on God
Psalm 46: 8-11
God will make a way, when there is no way.
The world needs to see people without fear, trusting in God.
2 Corinthians 12:15- Be used up for God, He is our refuge.
vs. 8-11 God is our Ruler
God made the waves to cease
God sent an angel to kill 185,000 Assyrians
Revelation 15:3-4 - Every nation will worship Him.
God can use His word to control things.
God says, Be still and know that I am God.
John 4:7-14 - He gives us everlasting life.
Ahaz was an evil king of Israel
He was the father of King Hezekiah
King Hezekiah opened up the temple and repaired it
Hezekiah knows why they are under affliction, idolatry.
Hezekiah wants revival of the people
He wants people to worship God
He wants people to serve God
He wants people unified under God
He wants people to prepare their hearts
Hezekiah prays for God’s mercy on the people that had clean hearts
God healed many people because their hearts were right
The Israelites willingly destroyed the idols
They had peace, that only God can give.
Psalm 46
The setting of chapters 46 - 48 take place during the time of King Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 32
Assyria wants to take over Jerusalem
King Hezekia reroutes the water that comes into the city. In this way, the water can’t be stopped from coming into the city.
King Hezekiah still knows that he needs to trust in God even though the mountains were crumbling around him. God is his river and refuge.
The king had his river, but it wasn’t the resource he needed
Jeremiah 32:13 - The people forsook God, even though God is the living water. A resource that has no end
Hezekeiah receives a letter from Assyria. He takes it directly to the Lord. God sends him a message. “I have heard.” God uses evil nations to bring us to Him.
Psalm 46:7 - God is with us. He is our refuge.