Psalm 88 - Where is God?

This psalm has been regarded as pessimistic because the petitioner does not indicate if his God answered his earnest prayer despite him having prayed desperately for a long time. Yet maybe that is why he wrote it; to help those who were waiting for God to answer their prayers, and to let them know that they are not alone in their perplexity.

Heman knows who God is – he is the covenant God of salvation who can answer prayer. Heman knows what he wants – he wants God to answer his persistent prayer. Heman knows what he is experiencing – deep soul troubles so intense that he might die (vv. 1-3). We are not told what his trouble was, but we can see certain realities of life of which he was aware.

 

Heman also knows what others think of him. They regard him as experiencing the judgement of God, that his life is going to be brought to an end by God (vv. 4-5). Heman acknowledged that God was the cause of what had taken place, that he was in such distress because he was overwhelmed by divine anger (vv. 6-7). Normally, people can expect sympathy when they are in trouble. But God has prevented Heman’s friends from doing so. Instead they are appalled at what has happened to him (v. 8). The fact is, says Heman, God is causing the distress. He seems blind and deaf concerning Heman’s agony despite his earnest, persistent prayers (v. 9).

 

Heman has considered Sheol and regards it as the place where the blessings of God are unknown (vv. 10-11). We may wonder why he does not consider heaven as a place of relief from sufferings. One reason may be lack of information (God had not revealed to people back them all that he has told us in the New Testament), or it could be that Heman was suffering from mental distress caused by his reaction to what he saw as negative providence.

 

What good indicators about Heman’s spiritual state come from this psalm? One is that he persists in prayer daily. Another is that he acknowledges the hand of God in his life, that he knows and trusts the God who is taking him through those experiences. Third, this was not a new situation but one that Heman had known about for a long time, yet he had been preserved as a believer. Fourth, he speaks candidly to God about his distress. Fifth, he realises that God had removed human comforters from him, but he still wants to draw near to God (vv. 13-18).

 

What is point of this psalm? It reminds us that sometimes life is unexplainable and unrelenting in its effects. But we should still pray to the covenant God.

Psalm 87 - The City Shall Be Flourishing

The psalm was composed after the return from the exile in Babylon. Those who returned were engaged in the task of rebuilding the city and no doubt they wondered about its prospects.

In the psalm, the author thinks about God’s city and its past, present and future. In the past, he founded the city on a secure foundation – the range of mountains round Jerusalem; and in the present, he loves its gates more than all the other locations in the country. The gates could refer to the several entrances to the city, where people would enter it, and where they would be registered.

Yet it is the future of the city that the psalmist focuses on, and it is obvious that he is moving on from a description of a literal city. The future glory of Zion had already been made known in the prophetic descriptions found in the Old Testament of its coming growth and blessing (by prophets such as Isaiah and Ezekiel). So the psalmist is commenting on their announcements.

The author does not mention all the glorious details in his description in the psalm. But he does highlight some. He mentions the inhabitants, their privileged status, and the quality of life.

First, he describes the future inhabitants of the city. Instead of being inhabited by Jews only, the residents would include people from other nations. The countries that he lists were enemies of Israel (v. 4), yet from them would come those who would dwell in the city of God. The fulfilment of this influx of people occurs during the gospel era.

Second, it was the custom for citizens to be recorded in a city register. God is the registrar, and he never makes a mistake regarding membership. Membership was an indication of privileges, and one of the privileges of this city is that the inhabitants are born in it, even although some of them come from faraway. Here we a reminder that identification with this city requires regeneration.

God gives to the residents the right of belonging to the city. His city is established by numerical growth that occurs through conversions. The city is marked by ongoing growth, and there is not a register of those who leave it because that is impossible. Once in this city, people are in it forever (vv. 5-6). Abraham is an example of someone who recognised the permanence of the city (Heb. 11:8-10).

Some might wonder about the connection between the book of life and the registration mentioned here. The names in the book of life have been in it from eternity whereas the names in this record are added when they are born again. This record is still expanding, but the time will come when the names in it and in the book of life will be the same. Calvin commented that ‘God, it is true, wrote the names of his children in the Book of Life before the creation of the world; but he enrols them in the catalogue of his saints, only when, having regenerated them by the Spirit of adoption, he impresses his own mark upon them.’

Third, life in the city is very joyful because the life they have comes from God. Worship will be the dominant activity, and it will be sustained at an elevated level because of the grace given by the Spirit. Citizens of Zion are worshippers in Zion forever.

The church of today was part of the future church described by the psalmist, but we can take his description and anticipate the glories that God will yet give to his church in time and in eternity.

Psalm 86 - Prayer for deliverance

It is not obvious when David composed this psalm. Obviously, it was a time of trouble (v. 7) caused by wicked men (v. 14), and since he links it to a need for forgiveness his concern must be connected to a desire for pardon (v. 5). Perhaps he was concerned that personal sin had caused the Lord to turn against him.

Nevertheless, David is conscious of his servant relationship with the Lord and indeed regards himself as godly (v. 2). His trouble threatens his life (v. 2) and his circumstances cause him to pray all day long, although he does not say how many days he has been doing so. His concerns, however, have resulted in a loss of spiritual joy (v. 4), the absence of which is an indication that something is wrong. David knows that the remedy is not in himself because he is poor and needy (v. 1). Still, he expects the Lord to help him, so he lifts up his soul to the Lord.

What is it about God that encourages David? His character as the covenant God of mercy who pardons sinners is one reason. A second reason is that the Lord answers prayer. A third reason is that he is different from the gods that other nations prayed to – those gods could not do anything since they did not exist whereas his God did incredible things in creation and providence. Indeed, because of God’s great power, worshippers would come from all the nations (vv. 5-10). We can use those reasons for our own encouragement.

David’s desire is for divine teaching. He is not asking for information as such, but for wisdom to know what to do in his current situation. His desire is that he would react in a manner that was pleasing to the Lord, and he was concerned that his problems would affect his heart and turn it away from confidence in God. If the Lord would enable him to have a devoted heart, it would cause David to glorify God with gratitude. He had an obvious reason for gratitude – previous divine deliverance from the possibility of death. It looks as if his current opponents had the same intention, and David asks God to repeat the deliverance (vv. 11-13).

So he tells the Lord about the situation. His opponents are aiming to get him, and they do so because they do not consult with God about him. In contrast, the Lord remains the same kind God and who can be relied upon by David to help him. Therefore, David prays for divine favour, for strength and deliverance.

David mentions that his mother was a godly woman. (The same idea is mentioned in Psalm 116:16, but that psalm does not have a heading saying that David wrote it.) For some reason, he thought of the covenant line as he wrote Psalm 86. Perhaps he recognised that her prayers for him had been answered, and the God who answered her prayers could also answer his.

The desired outcome would be that clear divine deliverance of David would compel his opponents to give up their campaign, a response that would embarrass them publicly, as even they would have to acknowledge that the Lord was with David.

Psalm 85 - Prayer for restoration

The author of this psalm looks back into Israel’s history and recalls a time when God restored his people. He had punished them for their sins, but he had forgiven them and restored them to his favour and removed the expressions of his strong anger. That experience is a reminder that sins of his people are highly offensive to him, especially if they are done wilfully. Severe chastisement can follow, but so also will restoration when they repent.

At the time of writing the psalm, Israel is once again under divine chastisement (v. 4). The punishment has been experienced for a long time, so perhaps it is connected to the exile in Babylon (v. 5). God’s people no longer have his joy, which is usually a sign of the withdrawal of divine favour. The circumstances cause the author to pray earnestly for divine recovery, and although his experience is of divine chastisement, he still regards the Lord as the God of salvation (vv. 4-6).

Even although the psalmist himself was very devout, he does not separate himself from those in Israel who had not been. Instead, he realises that God deals with them as a people. All of them are suffering the consequences of his anger, and therefore the psalmist prays to him as a member of the covenant community undergoing divine displeasure.

Why should God provide restoration? His name reveals why. He is Yahweh, the God of the covenant (v. 7). He has been silent, but the psalmist wants him to speak. He knows that when God speaks in answer to this prayer, the message will be a good one of peace. However, the answer is connected to a warning. His people cannot repeat the foolish behaviour they had shown in departing from God (v. 8). But since the answer is imminent, the psalmist anticipates glory arriving once again in the land (v. 9).

What will such glory look like? Heaven and earth will be in harmony once again. The psalmist describes it in verses 10 and 11: steadfast love (from heaven) and faithfulness (on earth) meet; righteousness (from heaven) and peace (experienced on earth) kiss each other. Faithfulness (on earth) springs up from the ground, and righteousness (heaven) looks down from the sky. Righteousness here means the good blessings God provides for his faithful people. He will certainly provide them, and prosperity will be the outcome (v. 12). Along with his blessings of good things, God will once more walk among them in fellowship.

The psalm reminds us that we can use the experiences of past restoration as an argument in prayer, that current spiritual poverty is not a wise method of assessing the future, and that God delights to have fellowship with his people when they are devoted to him.

Psalm 84 - Worship Matters

This psalm was composed by one or more of the sons of Korah who were Levites working in the temple. Their responsibilities included participating in the praise and manning the entrances to ensure that those who came in had appropriate access. They would engage in their duties by rotation, which meant that some were away from the temple at certain times. This psalm describes the response of those who were not on duty (v. 2). Nevertheless, their thoughts and their hearts were at the temple.

The author’s statement that the temple is lovely indicates that he loves it and the reason why he loves it is because it was the place where the God of heaven had chosen to dwell on earth. Since the death of Jesus and his subsequent resurrection and ascension, buildings are no longer the house of God. Rather his people are where he dwells, so we are not to assume that the building where we gather is God’s house. But do we love his people because they are where God dwells by his Spirit?

The fact that the psalmist was away from the temple did not mean that he could not recall what he had seen there and rejoice in what he remembered. In its courts, he had seen the invisible God revealed through the various activities taking place there - his holiness revealed through the necessity of sacrifices, his covenant love revealed in giving special blessings to his chosen people, and his desire to be with them in peace revealed in the fellowship offerings. The temple was a place of refuge, and even the fact that birds such as sparrows and swallows nested there reminded him of the safety of the presence of the sovereign God. He also recalled those who would be on duty in the temple, leading the praise of God (vv. 1-4).

This unknown psalmist also recalled those who would be worshipping there (vv. 5-8). Because the temple had a geographical location, it meant that everyone who worshipped there had to travel there. They were provided with divinely-given strength for the journey. Sometimes, they had to travel through arid valleys (Baca), but even there they were provided with water. Whatever the difficulties on the journey, the God-given strength continued and eventually they reached the temple and joined in with the worship. Therefore the psalmist prayed for his people to know God’s blessing. Their commitment to worship in an earthly sanctuary is a challenge to us regarding how much easier it is for us to be in the presence of God in a communal manner, and do we attend?

In verse 9, the psalmist prays for the king, the one whom God had anointed as their shield. He needed divine wisdom to govern, but here he symbolises the need Israel had for divine protection. The author knew that the king in himself had little power, therefore he prayed for God to ensure that his kingdom would continue. We also should pray for his kingdom to continue, although we know that our King Jesus has all power.

In verse 10, the author recalls those who would be engaged in the activity that he would have done when he was on duty. Sometimes this reference to a doorkeeper is taken to mean a humble activity, but that is to misunderstand the role. When on duty, he would be a guide for those attending the worship activities as well as a protector controlling access to the temple. Such responsibility was much better than living among the wicked.

The psalmist knows that his God is good (v. 11). God is like the sun and warms his heart, giving him light in a world of darkness; the Lord is a shield protecting him from opponents of every kind. God provides favour and honour simultaneously - after all, what greater privilege can be given than to be allowed to worship the exalted Lord! 

As long as the worshipper lives according to God’s instructions, he will received good things from the God of all grace. The believer does not merit them because of his behaviour, but he will not receive them if he becomes careless about his commitment to God.

The psalmist closes with the thought that, although the Lord of hosts is surrounded by worshippers, he is blessed because of the individual relationship he has with his God. The God of the many is also the God who gives great blessings to each of his people in a personal way (v. 12).

Psalm 83 - Prayer for Deliverance

In this psalm, Asaph prays about a possible onslaught on Israel by surrounding nations mentioned in verses 6-8. Those nations had not kept their plans secret. Indeed they rejoiced in the prospect of bringing an end to the existence of Israel.

What arguments does Asaph use in his prayer? First, he mentions that those peoples are the enemies of God, that they hate the Lord, that their combined action is an agreement against him (vv. 1-5). Second, he mentions the relationship that Israel has with the Lord - they are his people, his treasured ones. 

What requests does Asaph make to the Lord? First, he asks God to repeat previous expressions of his defence of his people when he defeated their powerful enemies (vv. 9-12). Second, he asks God to destroy them, and he uses several pictures to explain the intensity of his desire, such as a fire destroying a forest, or a hurricane causing fear and damage.

Why does Asaph pray in this way? His main reason is that he wants the name of God to be glorified even among those enemies. In verse 16, he prays that such adverse circumstances would lead those nations to seek God. In verse 18, he prays that such a divine intervention would lead to those nations discovering that the God of Israel is the exalted Sovereign everywhere.

Asaph reminds us that prayer requests should be based on valid evidence of divine power being exercised - he took his information from God’s previous actions in the past. He shows us too that requests should be heartfelt - his illustrations of what divine action would look like indicate his intensity. His requests further show that he realised that heavenly blessing is more important than earthly success - it would be better for those nations to be crushed if they came to know God as a result. And his requests remind us of the words of Jesus that we should pray for our enemies.

The equivalent of Israel today is the church. It is under attack from secularism in some places and religious and political persecution in other places. Asaph’s prayer instructs us about how we can pray about such situations.

Of course, we should take note of the sense of urgency that the psalmist has in verse 1. His dilemma is that God so far has not intervened and stopped the threatened attack. Why does God seem to be inactive in the face of such threats? Asaph’s dilemma is often our dilemma.

Psalm 82 - What about rulers?

Jesus mentions this psalm in John 10:34ff. He referred to this psalm when answering those who accused him of blasphemy for calling himself the Son of God. The point of their criticism seems to have been that no-one should be called by that title because it indicates deity. Jesus’ reply was to remind them how little they knew their scriptures because in this psalm human judges are called sons of God.

Asaph describes God as the highest authority to whom all rulers and judges in Israel are accountable. He is aware of their constant acts of injustice and favouritism on behalf of the wicked. Their misrule has been the norm that their subjects have experienced. Those rulers should have been looking after the needy and protecting them from injustice, but they did not (vv. 1-4). 

Why did they govern in this sinful manner? Asaph gives the answer in verse 5. They had no spiritual awareness, which happened because they ignored the Word of God. As rulers in Israel, they should have known what he required from them.

The outcome is inevitable. Although they have been given a high status, their time of authority will come to an end with their deaths. None of them can reign permanently. They should have ruled recognising the authority of God over them, but the reality is that they will all experience the sentence of death imposed on everyone for their sins by God since man rebelled in Eden (vv. 6-7).

Asaph knows that life will not always be like this. He knows that the nations will one day serve God. In order for that to happen, God will have to judge the wicked. After he does so, those he rules over will know and enjoy real justice in action. This looks like a longing for life in the new heavens and new earth.

But before that takes place, his people should imitate Asaph and pray to God for his intervention and judge those who misrule for their own benefit (v. 8). Concern for our fellowmen should cause us to do so because many in the world suffer from injustice and mistreatment.

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