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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
PSALMS 38 AND 39
LESSON #30
THE RELEVANCY OF LEPROSY AND THE PURPOSE OF LIFE
MEMORY VERSE: 1PETER 2:24
PSALM 38
PSALM 38 HAS AN INSCRIPTION, “A PSALM OF DAVID, TO BRING TO REMEMBRANCE”. ITIS CONSIDERED A PSALM OF REPENTANCE. YOU WILL SEE THAT THIS PSALM NOT ONLY CONCERNS ITSELFWITH CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE FROM SIN, BUT IT ALSO CONCERNS ITSELF WITH A VERY SERIOUSDISEASE. WE HAVE EXAMINED A PREVIOUS PSALM THAT RELATED TO A SERIOUS DISEASE THATDAVID PRAISED GOD FOR HEALING HIM. (PSA 30) THIS ILLNESS WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF SIN.PREVIOUSLY WE HAVE DISCUSSED HOW ALL SICKNESS IS NOT A DIRECT RESULT OF PERSONAL SIN, BUTSOME ARE.
PRIMARY INTERPRETATION AND PROPHETIC INTERPRETATION:
IN JUDAISM, THIS PSALM IS CALLED “THE LEPERS WAIL”. IF THIS PSALM HASTO DO WITH LEPROSY, IT DOES NOT PERTAIN TO DAVIDS DISEASE BECAUSE DAVID DID NOT HAVELEPROSY. THEREFORE, SOME THEOLOGIANS BELIEVE IT RELATES TO KING UZZIAH (790-739 BC). KINGUZZIAH LIVED ABOUT 300 YEARS AFTER KING DAVID (1011-971). THAT MEANS THAT THISPSALM WOULD BE A PROPHECY PREDICTING KING UZZIAHS ILLNESS.
READ 2 CHRONICLES 26:3-5,16-21
KING UZZIAH WAS KING OVER THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM OF JUDAH AFTER THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL SPLITINTO TWO AT THE DEATH OF SOLOMON. THIS IS THE PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THE BABYLONIANCAPTIVITY WHEN ASSYRIA AND BABYLON TOOK FIRST THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL, AND THEN THESOUTHERN KINDGOM OF JUDAH CAPTIVE TO BABYLON.
READ PSA 38:1-7, 17-22
LEPROSY IS A VERY IMPORTANT DISEASE IN THE BIBLE. IT IS MENTIONED 67 TIMES IN THE BIBLE.SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DO NOT CONCERN OURSELVES WITH THIS DISEASE IN THE MODERN WORLD TODAY,DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE CAN CONSIDER THESE SCRIPTURES LIGHTLY. WHY?
LEPROSY SYMBOLIZES SIN IN THE BIBLE.
HOW DO WE KNOW THIS?
THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS IS A BOOK OF WORSHIP. GOD GIVES HIS PEOPLE GREAT DETAIL ABOUT THEANIMAL SACRIFICES, ABOUT WHAT IS CLEAN AND UNCLEAN, ABOUT THE ROLE AND PRACTICE OF THEPRIESTS, ETC. IT IS IN THE LEVITICUS THAT GOD GIVES A LOT OF DETAIL ABOUT DEALING WITHLEPROSY.
READ LEV 13:2-4, 45-46
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LEPROSY THAT REMIND US OF SIN?
1. BOTH START SMALL AND GROW SLOWLY. (JAM 1:15)
2. BOTH ARE CONTAGIOUS.
3. BOTH AFFECT THE WHOLE MAN.
4. BOTH SEPARATE AND ALIENATE MAN FROM FELLOWSHIP.
5. BOTH ARE INCURABLE.
6. BOTH EVENTUALLY ARE OBSERVABLE.
7. BOTH WERE JUDGED BY GOD.
REMEMBER IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, JESUS WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO WOULD TOUCH A LEPER TO BRINGHEALING. THE MESSAGE IN THIS IS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN BRING CLEANSINGNOT ONLY FROM LEPROSY BUT FROM SIN.
PSALM 38 TIES LEPROSY AND SIN TOGETHER. 1JOH 1:9 ALSO TIES THEM TOGETHER.
READ 1JOH 1:9
NOTICE THAT IT SAYS “CLEANSING” FROM SIN. THIS IS THE SAME WORD THAT WAS USEDFOR HEALING FROM LEPROSY.
THE PROPHETIC ASPECT OF THE CRUCIFIXION:
READ PSA 38:8-16
THIS SECTION OF THE PSALM RELATES MORE SPECIFICALLY TO JESUS CHRIST AND HIS CRUCIFIXION.
2COR 5:21 TELLS US THAT GOD MADE JESUS CHRIST TO BE SIN FOR US ON THE CROSS.
ISA 53:4 AND 5 TELLS US THAT HE BORE BOTH OUR SINS AND OUR SICKNESSES ON THE CROSS.
1PET 2:24 (YOUR MEMORY VERSE), WHICH IS A QUOTE FROM ISA 53, TELLS US THAT BY HIS STRIPESWE WERE HEALED ON THE CROSS.
PERSONAL APPLICATION:
READ ROM 6:12-14
WE MUST CONSIDER THAT SIN IS AS DEVASTATING TO LIFE AS THE PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE CONSIDEREDLEPROSY.
PSALM 39
PSALM 39 FITS WITH PSALM 38. IF A PERSON IS NOT HEALED FROM A DEVASTATING DISEASE, HEDIES. THIS PSALM OFTEN IS CALLED “THE FUNERAL PSALM” AND IS OFTEN USEDFOR FUNERALS. THERE IS AN INSCRIPTION, “TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN, EVEN TOJEDUTHUM…”
JEDUTHUM WAS THE CHIEF MUSICIAN IN CHARGE OF WORSHIP IN THE TABERNACLE AND LATER IN THETEMPLE. (1CHR 16:41).
READ PSA 39:1-13
PRINCIPAL INTERPRETATION AND PERSONAL APPLICATION:
DAVID IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF LIFE.
HE BEGINS THE PSALM BY SAYING THAT IT IS A SUBJECT HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO DISCUSS INFRONT OF NON-BELIEVERS. THEY WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND IT. (1-2) HOWEVER, THE SUBJECT IS SOIMPORTANT THAT DAVID IS TROUBLED BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE NEVER CONSIDER WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OFLIFE. THEREFORE, HE POURS OUT HIS HEART TO GOD. (3)
LIFE IS VANITY (5-6)
DAVID SAYS THAT ALL OF LIFE AT ITS VERY BEST IS VANITY.
WHAT DOES “VANITY” MEAN? IT MEANS = EMPTY, TRANSITORY, AND UNSATISFACTORY.
THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT THERE ARE VARIOUS REFERENCES TO THIS VIEW OF LIFE WITHOUTGOD. IN FACT THIS IS THE THEME OF THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES.
DAVID TELLS US WHAT GIVES LIFE MEANING (7-8)
“HOPE” IN THE LORD GIVES MEANING TO LIFE.
WHAT IS BIBLICAL HOPE?
BIBLICAL HOPE IS NOT LIMITED, CONDITIONED, OR CONTROLLED BY WORLDLY CIRCUMSTANCES.BIBLICAL HOPE CONCERNS SOMETHING THAT WILL FOR SURE COME ABOUT BECAUSE GOD IS INCONTROL. BIBLICAL HOPE ALWAYS IS MIXED WITH FAITH. HOPE IS AN ANCHOR OF THE SOULTHAT LINKS MAN TO GOD IN ETERNITY. HOPE GIVES US THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE FOR LIFE.
READ ROM 5:3-6
APPLICATION:
“SELAH” (5, 11)
NOTICE THAT THERE ARE 2 OF THESE MUSICAL PAUSES IN THIS PSALM THAT ENCOURAGE US TO EXAMINEOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD LIFE. WE DO NOT WANT TO BE LIKE THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO COME TO THEEND OF LIFE AND DISCOVER THAT WE LIVED A WASTED LIFE WITHOUT HOPE IN THE LORD.
DAVID SAYS THAT A MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WILL FACE THE JUDGMENT WITHOUT EVER HAVING TRUSTEDGOD FOR SALVATION. THEY WILL BE CONSUMED LIKE A MOTH. (11)
DAVID WAS SADDENED BY THIS THOUGHT THAT MAN IS A “STRANGER” TO GOD. WE SHOULDALSO BE SADDENED WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE HOPELESSNESS OF NON-BELIEVERS.
DAVID PRAYS THAT GOD WILL SPARE HIM SO AS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THESE LOSTPEOPLE. (13) THIS SHOULD BE OUR PRAYER.
HOMEWORK
PSALMS 40 AND 41
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.
APPLICATION OF PSALMS 38 AND 39
IF YOU HAVE A PROPER PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE WHERE YOUR HOPE IS IN THE LORD, YOU ALSO WILLHAVE A DESIRE TO GUARD YOUR LIFE AGAINST SIN.
WHAT SPECIFIC SINS DOES GOD WANT YOU TO FORSAKE TODAY?
PRAY AND ASK GOD TO FORGIVE YOU. THEN, THANK HIM FOR HIS MERCY AND FORGIVENESS.
MAKE A DETERMINATION TO MAKE LIFE CHOICES BASED ON YOUR HOPE IN THE LORD.
PREPARATION FOR PSA 40 AND 41
READ PSA 40:1-17
WHAT DETAILS IN THIS PSALM REMIND YOU OF THE CRUCIFIXION?
READ PSA 41:1-13
WHAT DETAILS IN THIS PSALM REMIND YOU OF THE CRUCIFIXION?
MEMORY VERSE: PSA 40:2
