Psalm 25
Notes
Transcript
1 Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
the basic foundation which made David successful
2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, Let not mine enemies triumph over me.
He offers up this prayer in trust
those who trust in God will never be ashamed - David trusts completely in this
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: Let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
the previous verse extended from not just himself but to all believers
4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
the heart that david had, his intentions made him a man after God’s own heart
a desire to always improve
a humility to realize that he is imperfect
a constant want to know more about God
“if David, so distinguished a prophet and endued with so much wisdom, stood in need of divine instruction, what shall become of us in our afflictions?”
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: For thou art the God of my salvation; On thee do I wait all the day.
though David’s life had been imperiled many times, he realized that God is what got him through, not himself, his wisdom or intelligence or strength
What gets David through the day? His trust in and hope from God - it gives him hope, a reason to be that is beyond anything the world can offer
He also understands what’s important in life, he doesn’t live his life for the thrill of war or a variety of other earthly things,
David put his hope in God for the future
6 Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; For they have been ever of old.
David went through an awful lot in his life......
but he never took God’s goodness for granted, he never gave up on him
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: According to thy mercy remember thou me For thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.
as our sins are like a wall between us and God, and David seeks to tear down this wall as much as possible
David understands that it’s not a one way street where God just outpours His blessings upon us while we do not do our own part
explain how covenants have terms for both sides to follow
8 Good and upright is the Lord: Therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
one of the reasons that God is so great, we’ve all strayed from His path, and instead of just judging us outright with no warning, He seeks to reintegrate us into the family of God
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: And the meek will he teach his way.
being meek or humble is a prerequisite for actually receiving teaching
so once we have been humbled, God kindly stretches forth his hand and guides us throughout the course of our life.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
essentially saying “those who live a Godly life will experience the goodness of God”
here we see the concept of the covenant as well, it’s not just that God has decided on a whim to be good to those who follow Him, but He has actually committed to it
so we can trust in to the death the concept of “if we follow God, He’ll be there for us”
11 For thy name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
This humility toward God is one of David’s greatests strengths, this is what enabled him to succeed
being humble is required in order to seek forgiveness from God, you must admit that you’ve been wrong
it takes humility to receive God’s teaching, as we don’t know everything
It’s not like David was some outrageously or particularly great sinner when compared with others, it’s just that David, though being humble, was more able to realize his sinfulness
12 What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
“He promises Himself the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, if we only yield ourselves wholly to God, and show that we are willing to learn”
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; And his seed shall inherit the earth.
Later echoed by Jesus, we see both here and there the great promise of God to those who follow Him and the hope that we have in this life
David lived a somewhat rough earthly life, but now he’s been with God for over 2500 years, that’s over 25 lifetimes worth of complete heavenly bliss, and even THAT’s nothing compared to eternity
14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; And he will shew them his covenant.
Essentially, the things of the Lord are shown to them who follow Him
Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice” - how will we get guidance from God if we aren’t looking for Him
The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, the more we look to God, the more we will grow in His knowledge
15 Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; For he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
David certainly could not have gotten himself through the many situations he faced without God
Additionally, we are the cause of our own self destruction, so a look toward God is like us climbing out of a pit
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; For I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
David knew that God is the only substantial hope in this world
even as a king, he had this humility
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; And forgive all my sins.
David reiterates his understanding that he could not expect to enjoy God’s favor unless was was first reconciled to God
19 Consider mine enemies; for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred.
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: Let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
David committed to God his whole life, David is traveling along this path, living the life he is living, all the while trusting in the fact that God would deliver him
We see he was going through a lot of suffering, he was going through a lot of unsureness, he didn’t know at the time what would happen
but we have the benefit of living all of this time later, and we can look back and see that God kept His word in accordance with His promises
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; For I wait on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.