Hymns from the Cave (3)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This Psalm is hymn, a poem, and a sermon.
The structure of this psalm is an acrostic, or nearly so. Each verse begins with another letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for the letter waw. The purpose of the acrostic format in this psalm mainly seems to be as a device used to encourage learning and memorization.
The context of this psalm is 1 Samuel 21 & 1 Samuel 22:1-3
David is a moving as a fugitive (hes on the run) under the hands of King Saul he flees to a Philistine city of Gath to seek food and refuge.
David and his men were of no match to King Saul whom had thousands of men under his leadership and army.
He flees from Saul to Achish who is the King of Gath for help and refuge and this king taunts David in 1 Samuel 21:11 “And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
After the King says this to David it cut to the core of Davids heart and the passage says that he was afraid of Achish the king of Gath after those comments so much so that in 1 Samuel 21:12–15 “And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?””
That leads to 1 Samuel 22:1–2 “David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.”
David gave false witness of being mentally ill like he was crazy in order to get out of a jam which showed a lack of faith in God bringing deliverance yet and still God was gracious to deliver despite Davids means to experience The Lords deliverance from the situation he was in.
Calvin speaks safely when he says: “Although God sometimes delivers his people, while at the same time they err in choosing the means, or even fall into sin in adopting them, yet there is nothing inconsistent in this. The deliverance was the work of God, but the intermediate sin, which is on no account to be excused, ought to be ascribed to David.”
1 Samuel for You A Strange Deliverance
It is worth remembering that the deliverance described in this psalm was achieved through David drooling and dribbling down his beard like a madman. God’s deliverance can take strange forms, but it is still deliverance.
In other words God can use the foolishness of man to get them out of a jam which is what we see here with David. Though he sinned by lying God in his sovereign gracious hand used it anyway to bring him deliverance.
David has been through so much hes now alone in this cave with nothing left in him. You ever been there you ever felt like everything was against you its been hard day after hard day you have been trying your best to walk with Jesus but its been hard and you are tired. Normally when this is where you are in life its your chance to gripe, complain, step back from church, from reading your bible, be lowkey bad at God. Here is davids response to a hard season lets read.
Read Psalm 34 “Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is there who desires life and loves many days, th…”
1.) Worship through weariness.( vs 1- 7)
Davids response to being in a cold dark lonely cave is Psalm 34:1 “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Everybody wants The Lord to bless them but when was the last time you blessed the lord with your worship, praised him with your lips.
See David understands the sovereignty of God here because only someone that knows that God is sovereign over there life and every situation both good and bad will respond to trials with worship
Worship doesn’t take away the trouble and problems that you may be going through but what it does is shifts the focus of your heart and mind.
Worshiping The Lord is how you fight back when trials come. FIGHT BACK. Worship The Lord your God. David says that his soul boast in the lord.
In the oxford dictionary of languages it says that the word boast is a verb. It means to talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about ones achievements, possessions, or abilities.
Suffering happened and David worships and declares that his boast is in the lord, he is satisfied with the lord, being with the lord, walking with the lord, amidst a cave.
In verse 3 he invites those that have been going through this mess with him he says magnify the lord with me let us exalt his name together.
That what godly leadership looks like you don’t have to be a pastor or have a ministry position to be a godly example to someone. See this is a reminder that how you respond as a christian to hard things in life is a testimony.
If people around you behaved, carried themselves the way you do, mimic the attitude you have when life is hard would it look like them blessing the lord, boasting in him, magnifying him or would it look like a person that is miserable and think the world is against them, can’t catch a break, and no joy once so ever?
2. The Lord is good. (vs 8-10)
Share some of my own story
“Let God’s goodness be rolled under the tongue as a sweet morsel”-Matthew Henry
1 Peter 2:1–3 “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
David wants people to experience for themselves the saving power and goodness of The Lord. That was his plea and heart cry.
Sometimes we have to take a step back and remember when Jesus saved us. It’s easy to forget that first taste as life goes on and life gets to doing what life does. We forget that fire and passion we once had for Jesus when we first tasted and seen that he is good
This is why we preach the gospel every week and make much of Jesus at Charis Church because often you look like you forgot it.
I don’t know what you have gone through or currently going through christian and I would never minimize the hardship your in, the hurt you may have experienced from church folks, or the hard season your going through Jesus is still good. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Come back to the table pick your plate and taste again for yourself that the lord is STILL good.
In Revelation 2:1–8 ““To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna …”
Return back to your first love church. If that fire, zeal, and passion you once had is gone look to Jesus today and let him give you a fresh fire let him rekindle the flames of your heart for him. If that is you today during a time of response after the sermon grab me, chris, michael, nate, someone and let them pray for you. We will lock arms with you lay hands on you and pray these walls down for you because having Jesus in your life in your life as the king of your heart is more important than anything in this life.
Or maybe you have never tasted for yourself and seen that the lord is good will you taste for yourself today. Every one has a God-shaped whole in the heart that only Jesus can fill. I will never forget when Jesus saved me.
I need Jesus, you need Jesus he is worthy to save, he is worthy of your worship, he is worthy to have all of your heart, he is worthy to have your marriage, your home, your bank account, your sexuality, he is worthy to have every part of you. Turn to Christ, believe the gospel, repent of sins and rest in him.
Psalm 34:22 “The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”