Lesson #08/P3

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RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

PSALMS 79
Lesson #08/P3
IN DEEP TRIBULATION

• MEMORY VERSE: PSA 79:9

 

• READ PSA 79:1-13
• SUBTITLE: A PSALM OF ASAPH

 

• “Oh God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance…”

 

(1)
• FROM THE BEGINNING, WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A HEART-FELT PRAYER TO GOD IN A TIME OF DEEP DESPERATION.
  • THIS SITUATION HAS OCCURRED MANY TIMES IN ISRAEL’S HISTORY:
    • =1= NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S ATTACK ON JERUSALEM WHEN THE CITY AND TEMPLE WERE DESTROYED AND THE PEOPLE WERE TAKEN CAPTIVE TO BABYLON.
    • =2= THE MACCABEAN WARS THAT ARE NOT MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE FOR THEY OCCUR DURING THE 400 YEARS OF SILENCE BETWEEN THE BOOK OF MALACHI AND THE BOOK OF MATTHEW.
      • ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES IV, A SYRIAN KING, ATTACKED ISRAEL, OFFERED A HOG ON THE ALTAR OF THE TEMPLE, AND DESTROYED JERUSALEM.
    • =3= THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE BY THE ROMANS IN 70 AD.
      • REMEMBER THIS PSALM IS IN THE SECTION OF PSALMS THAT RELATE TO WORSHIP IN THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS.
        • AFTER THE TABERNACLE, THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON WAS A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING. THE PEOPLE DID NOT THINK GOD WOULD EVER PERMIT ITS DESTRUCTION. THE FALSE PROPHETS SAID THAT GOD WOULD NEVER PERMIT ITS DESTRUCTION.
  • HOWEVER, THERE IS A PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE TO THIS PSALM THAT REFERS TO THE FUTURE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
    • IN THE LAST HALF OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, THE ANTICHRIST WILL COME AGAINST ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM. HE WILL SEEK TO DESTROY THE JEWS AND THE TRIBULATION TEMPLE SO AS TO PLACE HIS OWN IMAGE IN THE TEMPLE FOR WORSHIP.
• WHAT IS GOD’S INHERITANCE?
  • GOD’S PROMISED LAND WHERE HE COULD DWELL AMONG HIS PEOPLE (EXO 15:17)
  • THE TABERNACLE AND/ OR THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM (EXO 15:17)
  • GOD’S PEOPLE WHOM HE REDEEMED FROM EGYPT (1KIN 8:51, 53 PSA 33:12)
• CONSTANT “REPROACH” AND “DERISION”FOR THE ISRAELITES. (4)
  • WE CAN SEE THROUGH HISTORY THE FULFILLMENT OF THIS VERSE FOR THE JEWS HAVE ENDURED THE HATRED OF ALL PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD.
• HOW LONG WILL GOD PERMIT THE PAGAN NATIONS TO WALK OVER AND DESTROY WHAT BELONGS TO GOD? (5)
  • WE FIND THIS SAME QUESTION POSED IN REV 6:10 BY THOSE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. IT IS BY THIS QUESTION THAT WE KNOW THIS PSALM IS PROPHETIC OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
• A PLEA FOR GOD’S ULTIMATE JUSTICE (6)
  • INHERENT IN THIS PLEA IS THE EVER PRESENT QUESTION OF WHY GOD ALLOWS HIS PEOPLE TO SUFFER DESTRUCTION AND DEPRIVATION.
    • HOWEVER, IF WE CONSIDER ISRAEL AS THE PRIME EXAMPLE, WE SEE THAT THEIR PERSISTENT HISTORY OF DESTRUCTION AND SUFFERING IS THE DIRECT RESULT OF THEIR DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD.
      • GOD PUTS PRESSURE ON THE JEWS TO BRING THEM TO CHRIST. EVERY TIME THEY REJECT HIS OFFER, THEY SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.
      • THE TRIBULATION PERIOD WILL BE THE ULTIMATE PRESSURE FOR THEY WILL COME TO THE EDGE OF COMPLETE AND TOTAL DESTRUCTION BEFORE THEY CALL UPON GOD TO SAVE THEM.
    • FOR THE BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST, GOD PERMITS CHASTISEMENT FOR SIN TO BRING THE BELIEVER TO REPENTANCE. (HEB 12:5-11)
      • THEREFORE, THE END RESULT OF CHASTENING IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER IS TO PRODUCE A CHANGED CHARACTER TO MAKE US MORE LIKE CHRIST.
  • PERFECT JUSTICE IS ONE OF GOD’S CHARACTERISTICS. THEREFORE, HE MUST EVENTUALLY BRING JUDGMENT THAT WILL BRING ULTIMATE JUSTICE TO ALL THE EVIL IN THE WORLD.
• A PLEA THAT GOD WILL NOT REMEMBER THEIR PAST SINS. (8-9)
  • FROM THIS VERSE, WE ALSO KNOW THAT THIS PSALM REFERS TO THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. THE JEWS HAVE NEVER TURNED TO GOD AND ASKED FOR MERCY.
  • IT IS AT THEIR POINT OF EXTINCTION THAT THEY WILL CALL UPON GOD FOR FORGIVENESS AND MERCY.
    • NOTICE THAT THESE SUFFERING PEOPLE ASK GOD TO “PURGE AWAY” THEIR SINS.
      • IT IS ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST CAN SINS BE FORGIVEN AND TOTALLY WASHED AWAY. THROUGH THE BLOOD OF ANIMAL SACRIFICE SINS WERE ONLY COVERED BY THE BLOOD. THEREFORE, THEY MUST RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR, TO SAVE THEM FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN WHICH IS ETERNAL DEATH.
      • READ ZEC 12:10
        • WHEN THEY SEE JESUS COMING BACK TO EARTH AT THE SECOND COMING, THEY WILL TURN TO HIM AND RECEIVE HIM AS THEIR MESSIAH.
    • FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, JESUS WILL FULFILL ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD. (9)
  • AFTER CENTURIES OF REBELLION AGAINST GOD, WHY WILL GOD SUDDENLY FORGIVE THEM?
    • GOD ALWAYS FORGIVES TRUE REPENTANCE NO MATTER HOW MUCH SIN HAS GONE BEFORE.
    • THIS ABUNDANT MERCY AND LOVE IS THE VERY CHARACTER OF GOD. THEREFORE, HIS REPUTATION IS AT STAKE, FOR IF HE DID NOT FORGIVE, THE NON-BELIEVERS OF THE WORLD WOULD THINK THAT GOD DOES NOT KEEP HIS PROMISES AND THAT HE IS NOT A GOD OF LOVE OR A GOD OF JUSTICE. (10)
      • THE, FORGIVENESS OF THE JEWS AND A FINAL JUDGMENT ARE REQUIRED IN GOD’S PLAN OF BALANCING PERFECT JUSTICE WITH PERFECT LOVE.
• THOSE THAT ARE PRISONERS AND APPOINTED TO DIE REFER TO THE JEWS IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN CAPTIVE TO EGYPT BY THE ANTICHRIST. (DEU 28:68)

 

• “So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.”

 

(13)
• IN THIS VERSE WE SEE THE ETERNAL PRAISE OF GOD BY HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE, THE JEWS.
  • AFTER THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, JESUS WILL ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS. IN THIS KINGDOM JESUS WILL FULFILL ALL HIS PROMISES THAT HE MADE TO ABRAHAM, TO ISAAC, AND TO JACOB. THIS KINGDOM OF CHRIST WILL EXTEND INTO THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF GOD AFTER THE THOUSAND YEARS.
• APPLICATION:

• WHAT IN THIS PRAYER CAN BE OF HELP TO A PERSON IN DEEP PROBLEMS?
  • THE PEOPLE OF GOD ARE HIS INHERITANCE AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF THAT WHICH IS HIS.
  • GOD IS JUST AND WILL VINDICATE THOSE WHO BELONG TO HIM AGAINST ALL INJUSTICE.
  • GOD IS LOVE AND MERCY. HE WILL FORGIVE ANY SIN AFTER REPENTANCE.
  • GOD WILL BLESS HIS PEOPLE WITH ETERNAL LIFE IN GOD’S KINGDOM.
• THROUGH THESE PROMISES THAT OUR FAITHFUL GOD WILL FULFILL FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM, THE BELIEVER CAN MAINTAIN AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE. WITH AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE, THE BELIEVER CAN GO THROUGH ANY PROBLEM KNOWING THAT IT IS ONLY TEMPORARY AND FOR THE BELIEVER’S ULTIMATE GOOD.

HOMEWORK
PSALMS 80
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• APPLICATION OF PSA 79
  • WHICH OF THE PROMISES IN PSA 79 DO YOU FIND MOST HELPFUL WHEN GOING THROUGH PROBLEMS? WHY?

 

• PREPARATION FOR PSA 80
• READ PSA 80:1-19
  • WHAT OBJECTS ARE USED TO REPRESENT GOD’S PEOPLE?
• WHAT OBJECTS ARE USED TO REPRESENT CHRIST?
• MEMORY VERSE: PSA 80:18