Psalms 25

Petition of David v 1-2

David declares that he trusts the Lord and that the the Lord will deliver him from His enemies. The use of the word ashamed means disappointed. He knows that when he places his trust in the Lord he will not be disappointed.

We too can have the very same confidence David has when we place our trust in the Lord. His trust is rooted in what he knows to be true about the Lord.

9 Characteristics David knew about God

God is faithful v 3

Psalm 25:3 NASB95

Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

The Lord is faithful to deliver on his promises. When we apply the promises of God to our situations of life and petition the Lord based on those promises, He will be faithful to fulfill them. Proper application is a necessity for this fulfillment.

The biggest challenge we face is patience. We desire God to be faithful in our timing. God’s purpose may not be complete until we exhibit the patience necessary for Him to fulfill His promise.

David knew this by God’s promise to him. God promised that David’s throne would be established forever. God fulfilled this in His time which was about 700 years after David died. It was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. David is now seeing the fulfillment of his promise.

God is Truth v 4-5

Psalm 25:4–5 NASB95

Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.

God is the source of truth. The world will teach us that truth is relative. We make up our own truth’s according to the world. However, God is the one who establishes truth. He does this because he is the final authority in life.

He will judge all people according to His truth. Regardless of what we may believe to be true, his judgment will be based on what is actually true.

God has given us in written for truth. It is the Bible. The Bible is exhaustive and without error. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NASB95

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

God has given us everything we need to be equipped for every good work.

God is Savior v 5

God is the only one who can save a person. He has done this by offering His son Jesus Christ as a substitute for our sin. Jesus died on the cross to satisfy the wrath of God toward us for our sin.

God provided the way. Jesus fulfilled the way. The Holy Spirit applies the way.

God is Merciful and Loving v 6

Psalm 25:6 NASB95

Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.

God’s mercy for us is rooted in His love for us. When God created man, He did so in His own image. Man was perfect and God loved Him perfectly and man loved God perfectly. However when man sinned, his love for God transitioned into shame and fear of God. Tell story of Adam.

We too still respond to God the same way Adam did when we sin. We hide from God in our shame. We run from God by avoiding prayer, Bible study, church attendance, service to the Lord, ect...

We must remember that God is merciful and loving

1 John 1:9 NASB95

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God is Good and Upright v 8

Psalm 25:8 NASB95

Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.

The council of the Lord is always good. It always leads to life. It is often not easy, but if followed with obedience will lead to blessing.

When we sin, He convicts our soul with His Holy Spirit. He adds to the conviction the instruction we need to repent of our sin. This leads to the abundant life Christ desires for us to live.

Matthew 7:13–14 NASB95

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Jesus is the narrow gate. The world is the wide gate. Choose to follow Jesus and you will have life.

God is Forgiving v 11

Psalms, Volume 1: (Psalms 1–41): An Expositional Commentary When Mercy and Justice Meet

In his commentary on the psalms Harry Ironside tells of visiting a very old Christian. The man was about ninety years old, and he had lived a godly life. However, in his last days he sent for Ironside because, as he expressed it, “Everything seems so dark.”

“Whatever do you mean?” asked Ironside. “You have known the Lord for nearly seventy years. You have lived for him a long, long time. You have helped others. Whatever do you mean ‘dark’?”

The man replied, “In my illness, since I have been lying here so weak, my memory keeps bringing up the sins of my youth, and I cannot get them out of my mind. They keep crowding in upon me, and I cannot help thinking of them. They make me feel miserable and wretched.”

Ironside turned to this psalm and read the verse in which David prays,

Remember not the sins of my youth

and my rebellious ways;

according to your love remember me,

for you are good, O LORD (Ps. 25:7).

After he had read the words he said, “When you came to God seventy years ago you confessed your sin and put your trust in Jesus Christ. Do you remember what happened then?” The old man couldn’t remember. Ironside said, “Don’t you remember that when you confessed your sins God said, ‘Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more.’ If God has forgotten them, why should you think about them?”

The man relaxed and replied, “I am an old fool remembering what God has forgotten.” He found peace because he had been instructed in the nature of God and God’s ways.

We must understand that In Christ, God has forgiven our sin. We must learn to do the same thing God has done. FORGET OUR SIN!

The Lord Communicates With His Children v 14

Psalm 25:14 NASB95

The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant.

The Lord communicates to us by His Holy Spirit.

John 16:12–15 NASB95

“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

The Holy Spirit takes the truth from 1 Corinthians 2:14-16

1 Corinthians 2:14–16 NASB95

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

God is Gracious v 16

Psalm 25:16 NASB95

Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted.

God gives us grace. Grace is the power to endure and overcome our obstacles in life. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 NASB95

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

It is in our weaknesses that God displays His strength. He does this by giving us GRACE!

God is a Powerful Refuge v 20

Psalm 25:20 NASB95

Guard my soul and deliver me; Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.

No matter what we face in life, God is strong enough to be our refuge. He is our protector and strength. Putting your faith in Him will never leave you disappointed.