Through the Bible - Psalms

God, as Mike was just praying and as we were singing that last song, your grace is enough. We thank you that your grace is sufficient for us and your strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Lord, as we go through the book of Psalms tonight and consider the different things that especially David went through, there were many times when he had to completely rely upon your strength and your grace as he encountered difficulties. We pray that you would help us to learn and apply the different lessons we can see in this book, so that we too would be able to completely trust in you and rely on you when we encounter the obstacles that we all will face. We are all going to face trouble and tribulation, Lord. You even promised that in the world we would have much trouble, but you exhorted us to be of good cheer because you have overcome the world. You told us to let not our hearts be troubled because we believe in you. As we believe in you, you have a place prepared for us. We thank you so much, Lord, that we have that hope, and we ask that you would help us to stand strong in that hope. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Now, maybe you've been wondering how we are going to cover 150 Psalms in one night. That's a good question. I don't know. We'll have to see how it all comes together here. How many of you have been reading through the Psalms over the last couple of weeks or maybe even just this week? Many of you have. One a day. I'm going to challenge you to read 10 a day for the next 15 workdays. Starting on Monday, it's a good way to start out the year. Just take three weeks to read 10 a day for those 15 workdays, and you'll go through the entire book of Psalms.

Many of you probably haven't been able to catch up in our reading as we've been going through the Bible. I've been trying to do this for the last three weeks, and I'm a little bit behind. I've fallen behind in my reading of the Psalms. But we are going to try and cover this book in its entirety tonight. We will really just be able to give a brief overview, as we have with all the books we've been going through.

One of the things that's powerful and interesting to note as you go through the book of Psalms is that this is the book of human emotions.

This is the book that covers the experiences of men like David, Solomon, and Moses. David is not the only writer of the Psalms, although 75 of them are attributed to him in the Bible. Of the 150 Psalms that we have, half of them are spoken of as being his. However, there are many that are not ascribed to him; they do not have his name on them, but there is a very good likelihood that he wrote even more than that. There are a lot of different authors who have contributed to these songs. A psalm is a praise to God; it's a poem.

We have been looking at Hebrew poetry. We started last week in the book of Job, and we will do Psalms tonight, Proverbs next week, and then Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. As you go through these poetic books in the Bible, Hebrew poetry is different from our Western idea of poetry. In the West, particularly in English poetry, we typically rhyme words. However, in Hebrew culture, they rhymed ideas and thoughts. We touched on that a little bit last week, and we will consider it a little more this week as we go through this.

This book, especially of all the books in the Bible, is probably one of the most read because it has so much application to our lives and the difficulties we face. It addresses not just the challenges but also the joys we experience, as there is a lot of jubilation spoken of in this book, alongside the trials and tribulations. This is the book that truly speaks to the experiences we go through on a daily basis. You can pick up the Psalms and read through them at any time in your life, and they will speak to you in some way. Some Psalms, more than others, will resonate with the circumstances you are facing. Many of you have likely experienced how they can minister to you as you sit and read them.

I believe it is a good practice to read through the Psalms regularly. I will mention this again when we get into Proverbs next week because Proverbs is the book of wisdom. It is one of those books that should be read and reread over and over again. There are 31 Proverbs, so you can read one a day throughout the month and go through the book of Proverbs every month. The Psalms, too, are one of those books that you can pick up and read at any time.

During the time of David and beyond, after King David ruled in Israel, the Psalms became kind of the hymnal for the nation of Israel. Not just a hymnal, but also their devotional book that they would use to encourage and strengthen their hearts.

In difficult times as well as times of joy, these songs were sung at the temple. Some of them, known as the Songs of Hillel or the Songs of Ascent, were sung as the children of Israel would go up to Jerusalem for the Passover. As you read through these, many of them start with phrases like "to the chief musician on my stringed instrument." There was actually a melody that accompanied these songs, and they would sing them to the Lord.

David wrote about 75 of the Psalms, possibly more. There are 73 of them in the book that are attributed to him by name. In the New Testament, two of the Psalms are said to have been written by David, indicating that he wrote even more that do not bear his name. Additionally, there is a group known as the Sons of Korah. As you go through the Psalms, you will see in the preface of some of these that they were written by the Sons of Korah, a group of priests.

Asaph, one of the priests during the time of King David, also wrote several Psalms. Another individual named Heman, not to be confused with Haman from the book of Esther, was known as the Ezrahite and wrote one of the Psalms. Ethan, another author, contributed one as well. King Hezekiah wrote ten of the Psalms; we discussed him when we were going through 2 Chronicles. He was the king who brought about a transformation and restoration in the nation of Israel during his reign. King Solomon, that great man of wisdom, also wrote several Psalms, and even one of them was written by Moses. The earliest Psalm, Psalm 90, was composed during the time of Moses. It is a powerful Psalm that speaks about teaching us to number our days.

When you read these individual songs, which are poems written by different authors over the span of about a thousand years, you encounter a wealth of life experiences. This is why they minister to us in such a powerful way; the authors were people who faced challenges and hard times. In the midst of their struggles, they wrote songs of praise to the Lord or cried out to Him. Particularly in David's Psalms, you can read about the terror and fear he experienced while being chased by Saul or even by his son Absalom. Yet, you also see the encouragement that God provided him during those times.

That face different people as they look at all the craziness that's going on in the world. We are living in a time of much craziness. Just this last week, one of the politicians in Pakistan was assassinated, and now there is a great uproar over there. There is also upheaval in Afghanistan, Iraq, and even in Kenya, where they are experiencing a lot of turmoil.

Yet, I am always reminded, when I consider the things happening in the world, of Psalm 46, which talks about the heathens raging and the nations coming together in great calamity. Then the Lord utters His voice, and the earth melts. This gives us insight into the fact that God is still on the throne. He knows what is going on and has a handle on everything. As we considered last week in the book of Job, nothing comes into our lives that doesn't first pass through God's hand. Although we will experience hard times and difficulties, God permits those things to take place.

As you read through the Psalms, you will see that these songs cover a wide range of themes. They talk about jubilation, war, times of peace, worship, judgment, and prophecy. There is praise to God for the wonderful things He has done, as well as a lot of tears and lamentation during difficult trials.

It is important to note that the book of Psalms is not just one book but actually consists of five different books. The first book starts in Psalm 1 and goes through Psalm 41. Every single one of these books ends in a similar way, with a doxology. If you turn over to Psalm 41 real quick, we can look at the first one. From Psalm 1 to Psalm 41 is this first collection of Psalms, and just about every one of these is labeled as a Psalm of David. The first 41 Psalms are definitely songs that David wrote during his time as king and even before, when he was being chased by King Saul.

When you come to Psalm 41, verse 13, the last verse of that book of Psalms, it says, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen." So, blessed be the Lord God from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen. The next book...

The book of Psalms starts at Psalm 42 and goes through Psalm 72. You will notice that the doxology at the end of Psalm 72 is very much the same as the one we just saw in Psalm 41. We read in Psalm 72, verses 18 and 19, "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things. And blessed be His glorious name forever. And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen."

You can see how the first book of the Psalms ends with this "amen and amen," blessed be the Lord God. The second book, from Psalm 42 to Psalm 72, also ends in a similar way. The third book, starting at Psalm 73 through Psalm 89, ends in much the same manner. In Psalm 89, verse 52, we read, "Blessed be the Lord forevermore. Amen and amen." Amen. So be it, so be it.

One of the things you will notice in Hebrew writings, especially in Hebrew poetry and the prophets, is that they repeat things. They will say things more than once, and that repetition is for emphasis. One of the key places where you see this repetition is in the book of Isaiah, particularly in Isaiah chapter 6. You remember there when Isaiah is caught up into the heavenly realm and sees the Lord seated upon the throne. There are two angels surrounding the throne of God, and what do they cry to one another? "Holy, holy, holy." They proclaim throughout eternity, "Holy, holy is the Lord God. The whole earth is full of His glory."

That repetition emphasizes the fact of God's holiness. I think it also speaks to the triune nature of our God as well: Holy is the Father, holy is the Son, holy is the Spirit. As you go through the Hebrew writings, particularly the poets and the prophets, you will see this repetition, which emphasizes the point, and we see it here in the Psalms. "Amen and amen." So be it.

What is it that they are saying "so be it" to? Notice that: "Blessed be the Lord forevermore." God is the one who is to be glorified. He is the one who is to be praised. This really is one of the primary focuses of the book of Psalms. Just about every single one of these 150 Psalms talks about the praise of God, and that is the real focus of them. The next book, Book 4, starts with that Psalm of Moses.

The first one that was written is Psalm 90. It goes through 17 more Psalms, ending with Psalm 106. In the last verse of Psalm 106, verse 48, we read, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say, Amen! Praise ye the Lord!"

This fourth book of Psalms ends with the same emphasis: blessed be the Lord God of Israel forever and ever. He is to be praised throughout eternity. What an encouragement that is to me as I read through these books, especially when considering the difficulties that we all will face. There is a reminder throughout each of these books in the Psalms that He will be praised forever and ever. He will be on the throne for eternity. There will never be a time when God is not ruling and reigning.

This is a great reminder when you're going through trials. Every single one of us will face difficulties, and we must be reminded in the midst of tribulation that God is on the throne and will be on the throne forever. This is one of the things that you see David encourage himself with and strengthen himself with as he goes through these songs that he sings to God. God is still on the throne. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say, "So be it! Praise ye the Lord!"

This brings us to the fifth book of the Psalms, from Psalm 107 through Psalm 150. If you would turn over to Psalm 150, we are going to read the whole Psalm because it is only six verses and really serves as a doxology in itself. It finishes out the whole of the books.

Psalm 150, verse 1: "Praise ye the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary! Praise Him in the firmament of His power! Praise Him for His mighty acts! Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet! Praise Him with the psaltery and the harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance! Praise Him with the stringed instruments and organs! Praise Him upon the loud cymbals! Praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise ye the Lord!"

What a way to end the book! It focuses us on what is truly important in this life. Ultimately, the chief end of man is to glorify and praise God. We want to bring Him glory because, as the book of Psalms shows us, He is worthy.

of our praise. He is the only one that's worthy of this kind of exaltation, this kind of glorification. Truly, that's what our life should be about. Even as you go through the rollercoaster of human emotions, we all experience strange emotions, and those things are common to man. You're not going to experience something that nobody else has experienced in your life. This book shows us what we are to do in the midst of all the different crazy experiences and emotions that you and I can have. Whether it's the highest highs, the lowest lows, or everything in between, what should we be about? We need to be those who are praising the Lord.

Why? Because He is on the throne and He is worthy to be praised. Whether it's with singing, with instruments, or just a loud noise, that's one of the verses we use several times when we worship together here on Saturday nights a cappella. I'm not the greatest singer, so to lead that, we always go back to that passage, I believe it's in Psalm 98. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth. We want to praise His name with whatever we have, with all the energy that we possess. It is a blessing that God has given us the ability to sing to Him, even if we don't have the best voice. When we worship Him, we have Him as our audience. The book of Psalms points us back to that.

Whether you are in the greatest and most horrific tragedy that you've ever experienced or you are experiencing the greatest joy and jubilation of your life, our focus needs to be upon praising the Lord. Last week, when we were going through the book of Job, we saw Job as the cry of the Spirit. Here was a man who was going through the greatest trial that probably anyone has ever faced. God Himself had allowed Satan to punish Job, to put him through the ringer, just to prove that Job would not dishonor the Lord with his lips. Throughout this ordeal, Job cried out to God, and you see his spirit crying out to the Lord.

So there you have the cry of the Spirit to God. To cry out to God takes faith. When we come to Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, we are looking at the cry of the soul. We've talked about this before: man is a three-part being. Man has a body, a soul, and a spirit. In Job, you see him crying out to God with his spirit, and he has the faith that God is going to be the one who redeems him. He looks forward with faith to the day of the resurrection. But when you come to Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes...

You have the cry of the soul. The soul consists of three components that make up our personality: emotions, intellect, and will. When you get to the Book of Psalms, you are looking at the part of the soul that deals with the emotions of man. Next week, when we get into the Proverbs, we will look at the mind and the intellect, because it's all about the wisdom of God in the Proverbs. We will examine the cry of the soul in the Proverbs, revolving around the intellect of man.

Then, when we get to Ecclesiastes, we will explore the cry of the soul as it relates to choice. Man has a choice regarding whether or not he will follow God. So, we have the emotions in the Psalms, the intellect in the Proverbs, and the will in Ecclesiastes.

If you have the cry of the spirit in Job, the cry of the soul in Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, what do you think the Song of Solomon deals with? It addresses the cry of the body, the physical part of man for love. This is a love that is truly the love described in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, and we will delve into that in a few weeks when we reach the Song of Solomon. Here, the emotions are the focus, and we can all identify with this because we all go through emotional experiences, whether they be joys or trials.

The first of the Psalms is Psalm 90, which was written by Moses around 1500 BC. The last of the Psalms is believed to be Psalm 137. We believe that Psalm 137 is the last because it speaks about the time of the exile by the rivers of Babylon. There we sat down; yes, we wept when we remembered Zion. The children of Israel had turned away from the Lord and rebelled against Him during the time of all the kings. We studied several weeks ago in 2 Chronicles how they ended up being taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. Psalm 137 is that cry out to the Lord by the rivers of Babylon in the midst of the exile.

This span of Psalms goes from the time of Moses all the way to the time when the children of Israel were exiled in the 6th century BC. These five books that we have just quickly looked at were compiled as one book during or around the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. This gives us a historical context for where these five books and these 150 Psalms came together.

Through Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, we kind of know what was going on during that time. There are many Bible teachers and scholars who believe that Ezra the scribe was one of the key figures who gathered and compiled all 150 Psalms together at that one time, putting them into one book that came to be known as the Book of Praise by the Jews. It is that great book of praise where they devote themselves to the Lord.

These Psalms, born out of human experiences and filled with human emotion, are perfectly fit to minister to each of us in whatever trial we are going through. As you go through them, you can see how they may apply to different situations in your life. If you are oppressed by your sin and grieved by the weight of it, what Psalm do you think stands out? Remember when David had sinned with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered? Ultimately, a year later, he was confronted by Nathan the prophet. Where is his repentance found? Psalm 51. So, if you are oppressed or grieved by the weight of your sin, turn to Psalm 51.

But not only Psalm 51; Psalm 32 also speaks about how God is able to deal with our sin by His grace. How many of you have ever been worried or anxious? I think everybody's hand should be up there. We all go through those times of anxiety. Probably one of the greatest Psalms that fit those who are going through worry or anxiety are Psalm 37 and Psalm 73. If you are going through that emotional rollercoaster of anxiety, those are the places you should turn. In fact, for some people, those pages might be worn out in their Bibles.

Psalm 73 is powerful. It is the first Psalm of Asaph, and he speaks about how it seems as though the wicked are the ones who are prospering. Here he is, a priest serving the Lord, and everything seems to be going horribly for him. Does that remind you of the story of Job at all? Remember when we looked last week at the questions Job posed to God and the questioning of Job's friends? They were saying, "Hey Job, if you're a righteous man, then you wouldn't be suffering these things." But Job responds, "No, listen, the wicked suffer; it's the righteous who seem to endure suffering." The wicked are the ones who appear to be experiencing joy and all this good fortune. Well, Asaph went through the same thing, and in Psalm 73, he battles with that, but he finally...

Is encouraged and strengthened when he goes where? To the sanctuary. When he goes to the Lord, he sees the end of the wicked and the righteous. Not just the wicked, but he sees the end. In his anxiety and worry about all the difficulties he was facing, he realized that we are all going to stand before the Lord one day, and that is the great equalizer.

How about the person who experiences that great emotion we all feel when driving down the 15 in the morning or the afternoon? Anger. Psalm 58 and Psalm 13 express that anger. Have you ever been resentful towards someone? Psalm 94 and Psalm 77 speak about that. Have you ever been happy and wanted to know how to express your joy and jubilation? Psalm 92 and Psalm 66 are great for that.

People often feel forsaken, as if everyone has abandoned them. Psalm 88 addresses that feeling. If you are grateful to the Lord for the wonderful things He has done, Psalm 40 is a great place to turn. If you find yourself doubtful and lacking faith, there is a powerful Psalm, Psalm 119, that deals with that. You could call it the epic Psalm; it is very long.

Loneliness is another common experience. Psalms 71 and 62 address those feelings. When you are going through difficulty, it can feel like you are the only one left. This is especially true during trials, which is one of the tactics the enemy uses to corner believers into thinking they are alone. We see this with Elijah, who had just witnessed the power of God fall upon the sacrifice on Mount Carmel. Just a few days later, he found himself hiding in a cave from Queen Jezebel, saying, "God, I am the only one left."

The idea of loneliness is dealt with in Psalm 71 and Psalm 62. However, one of the most powerful aspects of the Psalms may not be fully understood until we reach the New Testament. I want you to turn quickly to Luke, specifically the last chapter, Luke 24.

Starting at verse 36, we read, "And as they thus spoke, Jesus himself stood in their midst and said unto them, 'Peace be unto you.'" This is after Jesus' death and burial, and now He is raised from the dead. He appears in the midst of His disciples and says unto them, "Peace be unto you." However, they were terrified and frightened, and they supposed that they had seen a spirit. He said unto them, "Why are you troubled, and why do these thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have."

When He had thus spoken, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they yet believed not for joy and wondered, He said unto them, "Have you any food?" They gave Him a piece of broiled fish and honeycomb, and He ate it before them. The Jews believed that a spirit couldn't eat, so to prove to them that He was flesh and blood, He now eats in their presence.

Notice this in verse 44: "And Jesus said unto them, 'These are the words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets, and what is said in the Psalms concerning me.'" He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures. Here, He says to them, "I've already spoken to you of all these things; all this must come to pass. It all must be fulfilled—the words that were written by Moses in the law, the words of the prophets, but also the words there in the Psalms."

The Psalms speak beautifully of Jesus. We see Jesus throughout these Psalms; He is presented as the Son of God in Psalm chapter 2, very clearly fulfilled in Matthew chapter 3. In Psalm 8, He is praised by His children. In Psalm 8, verse 6, He is the ruler of all. If you're having a hard time writing these down, I can give them to you later.

In Psalm 16, we see that He raises from the dead; He will not allow your soul to see corruption or your body to see corruption. Psalm 22 is a powerful passage that gives the perspective of Christ on the cross. In Psalm 22, verse 1, we see that He is forsaken by God: "My God, why have you forsaken me?" These are the very words that Jesus announces in Matthew chapter 27. He is also derided by His enemies in Psalm 22, where His hands and His feet are mentioned.

In Psalm 22, we see that Jesus was pierced, and they cast lots for His clothing. In Psalm 34, His bones were unbroken. Psalm 35 reveals that He was accused by false witnesses, which we see fulfilled in Mark chapter 14. Additionally, in Psalm 35, He was hated without cause. Psalm 40 tells us that He delights in God's will, while Psalm 41 indicates that He was betrayed by a friend, a prophecy fulfilled in Luke chapter 22.

Psalm 45 describes Him as the eternal King, and in Psalm 68, we see that He ascends to heaven. Psalm 69 shows that He was zealous for God's house. Remember in John chapter 2, verse 17, when Jesus comes into the temple and cleanses it at the beginning of His ministry? His disciples remembered that the scripture said, "Zeal for My Father's house has eaten Me up." Psalm 69 also tells us that He was given vinegar to drink at His death on the cross.

In Psalm 109, verse 4, He prays for His enemies, which is fulfilled in Luke chapter 23, where He says, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." Psalm 110 states that He rules over His enemies, and it also reveals that He is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, a point discussed by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 5.

Psalm 118 identifies Him as the chief cornerstone, and in that same passage, He comes in the name of the Lord, which is fulfilled in Matthew chapter 21. The scriptures in the Psalms speak about Jesus so clearly, especially regarding His first coming, His death, burial, and resurrection, as seen in Psalm 22 and Psalm 16.

When Jesus told His disciples in Luke chapter 24, verse 44, that these words which He spoke unto them while He was yet with them must be fulfilled, He emphasized that all these things were written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms concerning Him. He said, "Listen, the Psalms speak about Me." If you want to see Christ in the Old Testament, read the Psalms; His presence is clearly seen throughout each of them.

Not only do the Psalms prophetically speak about Jesus, the Son of God, but they also give us insight into the character of God the Father. They show us that He is our shield in Psalm 3, our rock in Psalm 18, and also in Psalm 42 and Psalm 95. God is our King and our Shepherd.

Jesus referred to Himself as the great shepherd in John chapter 10. God is our shepherd in Psalm 23 and Psalm 80. He is our judge in Psalm 7 and our refuge in Psalm 46, Psalm 62, and Psalm 91. He is our ever-present help in time of trouble; we can run to Him for security and safety. God is our fortress; He hides us within His walls, as seen in Psalm 31 and Psalm 71.

God is our avenger, which is an important concept for us to understand. The Psalms reveal that He is our avenger in Psalm 26, verse 1. God is the creator in Psalm 8, the deliverer in Psalm 37, the healer in Psalm 30, the protector in Psalm 5, the provider in Psalm 78, and the redeemer in Psalm 107. These are the things we learn about our God.

One of the awesome aspects of God is that He is outside of His creation; He exists outside of time and space. This means you cannot find God in a telescope or a microscope, nor will you discover Him in a laboratory. You may find evidence that seems to point to a creator, as the intricate design of the universe suggests, but you will not discover God through the scientific method.

The only way to truly know God is through revelation. This can be through special revelation, where He speaks through the prophets. Hebrews chapter 1 tells us that God, in former times, spoke to us by His prophets, but in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, Jesus Christ. God must reveal Himself, and the Psalms provide special revelation that helps us understand His character and nature through the words of men like David, Asaph, and Solomon, who were prophets.

Of course, the best way to know someone is through personal revelation. You can only know someone so much by what others tell you about them. To truly understand their character, you need to be personally introduced to them. This is why Jesus came—to provide the personal revelation of God. It is important that we have revelation; we cannot know God without the revelation of the Scriptures. The Psalms reveal the character of God, perhaps better than any other Old Testament book, as they clearly showcase His various attributes.

Those things come out because of the emotions that people are going through. They are reflected by the things that they are suffering through, and they beautifully reveal the coming of Christ. They make known the mighty God who is our God. He’s not just a God; He’s our God. He’s our shield, our rock, our judge, our refuge, and our redeemer. He is the one that we run to in the midst of difficulty and trial.

One of the marvelous facts disclosed in the Psalms is that we can come to Him with whatever emotion we have, no matter what we are going through. This is clearly seen throughout these Psalms. You don’t have to be in a position of perfection or righteousness to approach this God. You can be in the midst of absolute terror, as David was when he was being pursued by Saul or Absalom. You can be coming out of or repenting of your sin and still approach this one true God. We can come to Him in our desperation; we should come to Him in our despair. He should be the one that we turn to when we are going through these things.

However, we should also run to Him with our joys and our hopes, as well as our fears and our tears. We need to go to Him in every aspect of our lives. A lot of times, people only approach God when they are in trouble or when they need something. But the book of Psalms shows us that we should also come before Him with thanksgiving and praise when we are experiencing the joy and jubilation of this world. We should constantly be coming before Him.

We turn to Him with our needs, whether it be for wisdom, healing, forgiveness, or restoration. He is the only one who can truly give us those things. Sure, you might be able to turn to doctors for physical healing, but how long will that last? The Psalms tell us that the days of man's life are seventy years, and if by reason of strength, eighty, as stated in Psalm 90. Moses tells us there that we need to number our days and learn that our days are numbered upon this earth. There is only one who can truly heal us spiritually for eternity, and the Psalms reveal that so beautifully as we go through them.

One of the other interesting aspects of the Psalms is that some of them tend to strike people as a little bit odd, where David or some of the other authors express thoughts that may seem unusual.

Are saying, "God, break my enemy's teeth in his mouth. Destroy them." These are what we call imprecatory Psalms. These are those times when the Psalmist, the author, cries out to God that He would judge the enemy and pour out His righteous wrath upon them. A lot of people read those and wonder, "What in the world is this all about?"

One of the things you need to understand as you read through these is that these prayers to God are not prescriptive. God is not prescribing to us that we should pray, "God, destroy my enemies," but they are descriptive of what people go through. There are times in our lives when we experience great emotional trials and difficulties, and that's really where our hearts are at. The Psalms teach us that there are about twenty of them showing men praying for judgment to come upon their enemies.

What this shows us is that we should approach God honestly. We should come before Him and not try to show Him that we are something righteous or special. No, we should come before Him honestly with our fears and difficulties. Whatever it is, we should be able to come before God. We can approach Him whether we are angry or happy; we still need to approach Him. That's what these Psalms show us.

As you go through them, they clearly reveal that God is approachable by man. That was God's desire from the beginning when He created Adam and Eve in the garden. It was God's desire to fellowship with man, to be in communion with him. The only thing that has withheld that communion is disobedience—sin. When man sinned and partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he was separated from God.

God is the one who continually reaches out to man, whether it's to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Why? So that they could build a tabernacle and God could dwell in the midst of His people. Why did God bring His people into the Promised Land? Was it so they could have a place for themselves? No, it was so that His name would have a place and the people could come and approach God and fellowship with Him.

But why did Jesus come? The sacrifices and the approach to God under the Levitical system were not good enough because man could only approach God with a veil in the way. You could never fully have communion with God. Yet, Jesus has come to tear down that veil and break down the wall of separation, as Ephesians chapter 4 explains.

The Psalms tell us why we should come before God: so that we can enter in and have fellowship with Him, regardless of what we are going through. The Psalms make it very clear that we should approach Him with honesty and truth. This is why Jesus told the woman at the well that there is coming a day, and now is, when those who worship God will not worship Him on some mountain in Zion, in Jerusalem, or on a mountain in Samaria. Instead, those who worship God will worship Him in spirit and in truth.

We should not try to cover up or pretend that we are okay when we come before God. Don't we realize that He knows our hearts? The Psalms even show that He is the one who searches our hearts; He knows all things. So how can we fool God? Why would we even try? When we come before Him, we should bring whatever trouble we are experiencing and lay it down at His feet. Why? Because He is the only one who can truly deal with it. He is the only one who can take care of the challenges that you and I face.

The Psalms make this very clear. It is a book of experiences and emotions that we can identify with. The greatest thing about the Psalms is that they reveal to us that in those emotions, we can come before the one true God. We have the privilege and opportunity to enter into His presence. Ultimately, it is there, in His presence, that we begin to see how great He is. When we recognize His qualities and attributes, which are revealed in the Psalms, our troubles and difficulties fade away. How? Because He is so much better and greater than those things.

This is why every single one of the five books of the Psalms ends with a call to bless the Lord forever. There is coming a day when all the difficulties of this world, all the trials we have gone through, will never be remembered again, and every tear will be wiped away. The Scriptures show that there is a different world where we will be with God forevermore, and we will praise Him.

I want to finish tonight with Psalm 46, which speaks about God as our refuge. Psalm 46, verse 1, says, "God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help."

In trouble and therefore, we will not fear, even if the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, Selah. Selah is just a pause to consider what you just read, to consider what was just said.

Even if the earth is removed, even if everything that you know is in upheaval and cast down, the mountains are cast down into the sea. Everything is troubled, and the mountains shake. Notice where our focus should be.

In verse 4, there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God. Everything can be in total chaos in this world, but our hearts and our minds, as those who know the one true God, can remember that there is a calm, cool river. The streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of this city, and she shall not be moved. God shall help her right early.

The heathen raged, and the kingdoms were moved. So, not only are there catastrophes in this world, but now there are wars. The heathen are raging, and the kingdoms are being moved against each other. He uttered His voice, and what happened? The earth melted. God speaks in the midst of that, and everything falls away. The earth melts when He utters His voice.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord. What desolations He hath made in the earth! He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen, and I will be exalted in the earth." The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

It's so important for us to understand and hold on to verses like this as we go through the Psalms. We must recognize that even though this entire world may be completely destroyed, and sometimes it may just be your personal world that is falling apart, we go through those things. Something may come into your life; maybe the doctor says it's cancer, or you get a call that one of your loved ones has been in a car accident. Whatever it may be, we can find solace in these truths.

Your world falls apart at times, but in the midst of that, we need to remember that there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God. There is a city of God, and God is in the midst of that city; He is on the throne. There is coming a day when He will be exalted here on earth, and that's why we continue to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

The Psalms are those writings in the Bible that help us to refocus in the midst of emotional upheaval. They help us to gain a clear focus. There are some prayers of David, Asaph, and other writers that make you wonder where they came from. This is the cry of the soul in the midst of trial. You get an opportunity to see into the life of David as he goes through times when his world is falling apart. He cries out to God in the midst of that, and many of those Psalms end with him remembering that God is merciful.

There are times in my life and in your life as well when we cry out, "Oh God, that You would pour out Your judgment upon this person because they did this to me," or whatever it may be. Perhaps they cut me off on the freeway; who knows? We wish that God would pour out His judgment. However, I find that every single time I think like that, not ten minutes goes by before I'm praising God for His mercy towards me. He hasn't shown His judgment or showered His wrath upon me.

So many times, we wish that He would clobber the person who did something to us, but in the very next breath, we remember how He has dealt with us and are thankful to Him for that. As I mentioned earlier, it's important to remember that these prayers for God to pour out His wrath and judgment upon those we might consider our enemies are descriptive and not prescriptive. They describe the agony of a soul going through trial. They show us someone at the lowest point of their life crying out to God for help.

It's not God prescribing what we are to do when we are in the midst of trial, such as praying for our enemies to be destroyed. Even in the midst of that, there is also the reminder that we do not battle with flesh and blood, do we? Our enemy...

There is a spiritual enemy, and there is coming a day when these prayers for God's wrath upon the enemies will be fulfilled. God will pour out His wrath upon those who have rejected Him. He will pour out His wrath upon our enemy, the adversary, the devil.

In the midst of that, there is a bit of hope and encouragement as we look through the trials that we go through. There is coming that day when the one who attacks us, the one who comes against us, our foe, will be dealt with by God. It is a powerful and sobering thought to consider that judgment that will come. I think that's also one of the things that we see in this book.

If anything, I am always encouraged by these books or by these Psalms that reveal God as our refuge, our fortress, our avenger, the Creator, the Deliverer, the Healer, the Provider, the Protector, the Redeemer. It is important for us, as the people of God, to realize and understand who our God is and what His character and nature really are like.

Amen. Let's stand and pray together. God, I do thank You that we have this powerful book to read through regularly. I pray that You would help us to read it thoughtfully, to read it prayerfully, and to read it regularly. Help us to see how You carry through those who are going through difficulty and trial, to see how You strengthen and encourage the weak, and to see, Lord, how You desire praise from those who are experiencing joy.

Truly, all joy comes from You, as we see in Psalm 16: "In Your presence is fullness of joy." If we are going through trial tonight, if we are going through trouble, I pray that we would find our way to Your presence and experience the joy that only You can give. Help us, Lord, to be those who cry out to You, wherever we are, whatever we are doing, and whatever emotion we are feeling or going through at that point, that we would come before You and cry out to You because You are...

The only one who can heal us is You. You're the only one who can bind up our wounds. You're the only one who can deliver us from the prison house. You're the only one who can carry us to the place of refuge.

I pray that You would help us to remember that as we read through these books and these songs. Lord, help us to shine brightly with Your grace and Your mercy to others, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you.