PSALMS 28
We will begin this lesson by giving the 27th Psalm in metre.
THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE
Chapter 27
verse 1 "The Lord my Light and Saviour is, Who shall make me
dismayed? My life's strength is the Lord, of whom then shall
I be afraid?
verse 2 "For when my enemies and foes, Most wicked persons all,
Against me rose to eat my flesh, They stumbled and did
fall."
verse 3 "Against me though a host encamp, my heart yet fearless is;
Though war against me rise, I will be confident in this."
verse 4 "One thing I of the Lords desired, And will seek to obtain
That all days of my life I may within God's house remain."
verse 5 "That I the beauty of the Lord Behold and may admire,
And that I in his holy place May rev'rently inquire."
verse 6 "For he in his pavilion shall Me hide in evil days;
In secret of his tent me hide, And on a rock me raise."
verse 7 "And even at this present time, My head shall lifted be
Above all those that are my foes, And round encompass me."
verse 8 "I therefore to his holy house Will joyful off'rings bring;
Jehovah I will praise, Yea I To him will praises sing."
verse 9 "O Lord, give ear when with my voice I cry aloud to thee;
Upon me also mercy have, And do thou answer me."
verse 10 "When thou didst say, Seek ye my face, My heart did thus
reply; Thy Face, O Lord, above all things Forever seek will
I."
verse 11 "Far from me hide not thou thy face; Put not away from thee
Thy servant in thy wrath; thou hast a helper been to me."
verse 12 "O God my Saviour, leave me not, And never me forsake;
Thou parents both should me desert, Jehovah will me take."
verse 13 "O Lord, instruct me in thy way, Do thou my leader be,
Make plain my path, because of those That hatred bear to
me."
verse 14 "Nor give me to my foes' desire, For witnesses that lie
Against me risen are, And such as breathe out cruelty."
verse 15 "I should have perished had I not Believed that I would see
Jehovah's goodness in the land Of them that living be."
verse 16 "Wait on the Lord, and be thou strong And he shall strength
afford; Thy heart with strength he will confirm, O wait upon
the Lord."
We will now begin this verse by verse study of Psalms chapter 27.
Psalms 27:1 "{ [A Psalm] of David.} The LORD [is] my light and my
salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?"
We have spoken so many times about the Light. Jesus Christ is the
Light of the world. When we truly receive the Lord Jesus in His
fullness, we are overwhelmed in our inner being with this great Light.
Let us look, just one more time, at exactly what happens when we are
truly saved. Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless
I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me,
and gave himself for me." Christ liveth in me. if Christ lives in me,
then I am full of His Light, because He is the Light of the world.
Light does away with darkness. To have Christ {the Light} in me, means
His Light has dissipated {done away with} all darkness within me. Many
people who profess Christianity say, they are possessed of a demon
within them. This is an impossibility. Light destroys darkness. You
can not be full of Light and full of darkness at the same time. He is
our salvation, also. Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved." Jesus means Saviour. He is our salvation.
Fear is lack of faith. All throughout the Bible, we are taught not to
fear except to fear, or reverence God. In the 11th chapter of Hebrews,
you will find a very long list of those who did not fear, but had
faith in God. Faith pleases God. The following verse that Jesus spoke
sums this verse up completely. Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, [and]
to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan
unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."
Psalms 27:2 "When the wicked, [even] mine enemies and my foes,
came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell."
David had so many enemies who were trying to destroy him from
every side. The worst were some of his own household who turned
against him and wanted to utterly destroy him. Can you relate to this
problem that David had? I surely can relate to this. His enemies and
our enemies trying to destroy us will stumble and fall, because God
will fight our battle for us.
Psalms 27:3 "Though an host should encamp against me, my heart
shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this [will] I
[be] confident."
We have already related in these lessons about Gideon's army, and
how God took just a handful of His people, and destroyed a mighty host
of the enemy. David, remembering this, could take courage and know
that no harm will come to him. War may come even to us, but we should
feel no alarm. God is our protector. Psalms 91:7 "A thousand shall
fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall
not come nigh thee." If we are covered in the blood of Jesus, the
enemy will flee. It was the shed blood of Jesus our Christ that
defeated Satan.
Psalms 27:4 "One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I
seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of
my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his
temple."
This desire that David speaks here, is the desire of all
believers. The most beautiful answer to David's prayer and our prayer
for the same thing is found in the following Scriptures. John 14:1
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in
me." John 14:2 "In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were]
not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."
John 14:3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again,
and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also."
The tabernacle in the wilderness was patterned after the great temple
in the heavens. Everyone who ever lived has desired to live forever.
The Christian desires to live in heaven forever. Wherever Jesus is
will be heaven to me. We are told that the believers in Christ will be
gathered around His beautiful throne in heaven. Revelation 7:9 "After
this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number,
of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before
the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms
in their hands;" Revelation 7:13 "And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and
whence came they?" Revelation 7:14 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou
knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb."
Psalms 27:5 "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his
pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall
set me up upon a rock."
Christians would say, build a hedge around me Lord that my
enemies can not get to me. David's security, as our security, is in
the Lord. Jesus Christ is the Rock of foundation that we should build
upon. If I am on the Rock, the storms may come, but I will not be
moved.
Psalms 27:6 "And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine
enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle
sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the
LORD."
This song is a song of victory. David has made up his mind, even
before the battle starts, that he will be victorious. This celebrating
was not for himself, but was actually songs and praises to God.
Notice, David reminds God that he will go to the place of worship and
sing praises to God. When victory comes, many times we forget who won
the victory, and we forget to praise God for it.
Psalms 27:7 "Hear, O LORD, [when] I cry with my voice: have mercy
also upon me, and answer me."
David feels that his deeds will not get answers from God. Our
good deeds will not get us audience with God either. It is the mercy
of God that He even listens to our prayers and then answers them. Look
with me at just one related Scripture that truly explains this. Titus
3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing
of the Holy Ghost;" God does hear every prayer. He has mercy and
helps us when we cry out to Him.
Psalms 27:8 "[When thou saidst], Seek ye my face; my heart said
unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek."
Jesus is coming back for those who are looking for Him. Seek Him
and you shall find Him. David was instructed to seek the face of God.
We, too, must seek the face {will} of God in our life. Colossians 3:1
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God."
Psalms 27:9 "Hide not thy face [far] from me; put not thy servant
away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake
me, O God of my salvation."
Have you ever prayed and felt that God was hiding from you and
did not hear your prayer? This is what David is praying against here.
The God of the Christian's salvation is Jesus Christ. The promise of
God to man is, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.
Psalms 27:10 "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the
LORD will take me up."
Never in history has there been a time where parents have
forsaken their children, as there is now. Poor little babies are found
abandoned in all sorts of places. 2nd Timothy describes just such an
era as we are living in. One of the statements it makes about this
generation is that, they are lacking in natural affection. The
wonderful promise that we have from God tells us that, He will never
leave us. Children, you may feel alone and unloved, but God loves you
and is always there when you need Him.
Psalms 27:11 "Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain
path, because of mine enemies."
The way to everlasting life is not a broad and easy way. It is a
narrow, straight path. Look at the next Scripture which verifies that.
Matthew 7:14 "Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." This
Scripture was spoken by Jesus. Notice, in the verse above which path
we should be seeking. Thy path means not the way we want to go, but
the way God would have us go. David has enemies on every side, who
would like to destroy him. Christians have enemies, who would like to
destroy them, also. It was the church people of Jesus' day who tried
the hardest to destroy Him. Brothers and sisters in Christ from
different denominations are sometimes each other's worst enemies. Why
can't we realize we will all have to live together in heaven? We might
as well try to learn to get along here on the earth.
Psalms 27:12 "Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies:
for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out
cruelty."
Jesus was condemned by false witnesses. They really had nothing
to accuse Him of worthy of any punishment, let alone death. The will
of David's enemies was to destroy him. The will of our enemies is to
get rid of us. The will of Jesus' enemies was to crucify Him. The
greatest cruelty was the crucifixion of Jesus without a cause. I
believe the statement {breathe out} means their spirit wanted Him
destroyed. The breath of man has to do with his spirit.
Psalms 27:13 "[I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the
goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."
The faint, in the verse above, really means lost hope. His hope
was in the goodness of the Lord. We Christians are not like the world,
who have no hope. We have hope of the resurrection. The land of the
living is the land of eternal life. We, too, would be ready to give
up, if this life was all there was, but we, too, have tasted of the
goodness of God and have hopes of everlasting life in the land of the
living.
Psalms 27:14 "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."
Notice, in the next verse, what the world says to those of us who
are looking for the coming of Christ. II Peter 3:4 "And saying, Where
is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all
things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation."
God cannot and will not lie. He said He was Coming again, and I
believe He is. The following Scripture describes what Christian's
should be doing. Titus 2:13 "Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"
The world around us may look as if it is falling apart, but we should
look up and rejoice, for our redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28 "And
when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
Questions 28
1. The Lord is my _______ and my ____________.
2. The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be _______?
3. When we truly receive the Lord Jesus Christ in His fullness, what
happens to us?
4. Quote Galations chapter 2 verse 20.
5. What does away with darkness?
6. What does disappated mean?
7. Quote Acts chapter 4 verse 12.
8. What is fear?
9. What is the only thing permissable to fear?
10. How could you sum up verse 1 of this lesson?
11. Why will our enemies, who try to destroy us, stumble and fall?
12. Quote Psalms chapter 91 verse 7.
13. What specifically defeated Satan?
14. In verse 4 of this lesson, what was the one thing he sought after?
15. What promise did Jesus make to all the believers in chapter 14 of
John verses i, 2, and 3?
16. Who is the Rock of our salvation?
17. The celebrating, David was doing in verse 6, was actually what?
18. It is the _______ of God that He listens and answers our prayers.
19. Quote Titus chapter 3 verse 5.
20. Who is Jesus coming back for?
21. Where is Christ sitting now?
22. Who is the God of the Christian's salvation?
23. What does the statement {lacking in natural affection} mean?
24. When your mother and father abandon you, who can you depend on?
25. The way to everlasting life is a ________ path.
26. Jesus was condemned by _____ __________.
27. What was the will of Jesus' enemies?
28. What is {faint} in verse 13 really speaking of?
29. What is the Christian's hope?
30. What is the land of the living?
31. What does the world say to those who are expecting the return of
the Lord?
32. What should Christians be doing, while they are waiting for the
return of the Lord?
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