Lesson #03 part 3

PSALMS 74
LESSON #03/P3
A CRY FROM THE TEMPLE

• MEMORY VERSE: PSA 74:12

• THIS IS A MASCHIL PSALM.
• THE WORD, “MASCHIL” IN THE SUB-TITLE MEANS = TEACHING, WISDOM, OR UNDERSTANDING.
• READ PSA 74:1-23
• AGAIN WE FIND ASAPH WITH A PERPLEXING PROBLEM THAT REQUIRES AN ANSWER FROM GOD.
• WHAT IS THE KEY QUESTION THAT ASAPH WANTS GOD TO ANSWER?
• THE QUESTION IS WHY DOES GOD PERMIT HIS PEOPLE TO BE ATTACKED, ROBBED, AND KILLED?
• WITH THIS QUESTION AND THE QUESTION ABOUT THE INEQUALITY OF THE PROSPLETERITY BETWEEN BELIEVERS AND NON-BELIEVERS, WE ARE ABLE TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF GOD AND HOW HE WORKS WITH HIS PEOPLE.
• DISCUSSION

: HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THIS QUESTION?

• ASAPH’S PRAYER:
• HE INTERCEDES FOR THE CONGREGATION OF BELIEVERS IN THE TEMPLE:
• HIS PRAYER REQUESTS THAT GOD REMEMBER HIS PEOPLE. (2)
• HE REMINDS GOD THAT THESE ARE THE PEOPLE GOD PURCHASED AND REDEEMED AT THE EXODUS WHEN THE ISRAELITES CAME OUT OF EGYPT. THEREFORE, GOD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM.
• HE REMINDS GOD THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE THOSE THAT WILL INHERIT THE BLESSINGS OF GOD. THEREFORE, THE FUTURE FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S PROMISES IS AT STAKE.
• HE REMINDS GOD THAT GOD’S TERRITORY OF ISRAEL AND MT. ZION ARE AT STAKE. THEREFORE, GOD’S FUTURE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM IS AT STAKE.
• THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEM:
• THE ENEMY HAS DESECRATED THE TEMPLE (THE SANCTUARY). (3)
• THIS IS A PROPHECY ABOUT THE EVIL LEADER CALLED ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES.
• ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES WAS FROM THE SELEUCUS FAMILY, ONE OF THE FOUR GENERALS THAT DIVIDED THE KINGDOMS CONQUERED BY ALEXANDER THE GREAT. WHEN ALEXANDER THE GREAT DIED, THE LAND WAS DIVIDED AMONG THE 4 GENERALS ACCORDING TO THE PROPHECY IN DAN 7:6 AND 8:8. THE SELEUCUS FAMILY CONTROLLED SYRIA AND THE PROMISED LAND.
• IN 175 BC. ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES DESECRATED THE TEMPLE BY OFFERING A PIG ON THE ALTAR IN THE TEMPLE BECAUSE HE HATED THE JEWS. TO THE JEWS, THE PIG WAS AN UNCLEAN ANIMAL. THE PRESENCE OF GENTILES IN THE TEMPLE AND A PIG ON THE ALTAR WAS AN AFFRONT TO THE JEWS AND AN ABOMINATION TO GOD. HE ALSO PLACED AN IMAGE OF THE GOD JUPITER IN THE TEMPLE.
• IN DAN 8:14 THIS EVENT IS CALLED THE “TRANSGRESSION OF DESOLATION”. THE ACTIONS OF ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES IN 175 BC. WERE THE FIRST FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY.
• JESUS ALSO SPOKE OF THIS ABOMINABLE EVENT IN MAT 24:15 TO INDICATE THAT THERE WAS STILL TO BE A FUTURE FULFILLMENT.
• EVERY BIBLE PROPHECY REQUIRES A SECOND FULFILLMENT. THEREFORE, THE SECOND FULFILLMENT OF DANIEL’S PROPHECY OCCURRED IN 70 AD. WHEN THE ROMANS DESTROYED THE TEMPLE, WHILE THE SECOND FULFILLMENT OF JESUS’ PROPHECY IN MAT 24 IS STILL TO OCCUR IN THE FUTURE. THIS PROPHECY WILL BE FULFILLED COMPLETELY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD OF 7 YEARS WHEN THE ANTICHRIST WILL PUT HIS OWN IMAGE IN THE TEMPLE FOR WORSHIP. (REV 13:14-15)
• THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE:
• THE TEMPLE WAS BUILT BY KING SOLOMON, WHO COMMISSIONED THE CUTTING OF THE CEDARS OF LEBANON TO BUILD THE MAGNIFICIENT TEMPLE. (5)
• THE DESTRUCTION OF SOLOMON’S BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE WAS A SHOCK TO THE ISRAELITES THAT THOUGHT GOD WOULD NEVER PERMIT THE DESECRATION AND DESTRUCTION OF THIS TEMPLE BY THE ROMANS IN 70 AD. (6-7)
• THE MENTION OF FIRE IN THE TEMPLE REFERS TO THE ROMANS IN 70 AD. THEY DISMANTLED THE TEMPLE STONE BY STONE, PIECE BY PIECE AND BURNED IT TO MELT THE GOLD DUST THAT WAS SPRINKLED IN THE MORTAR.
• THE RESULTS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION:

• “There is no more any prophet,”…

(9)

• MALACHI WAS THE LAST PROPHET OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, BEFORE THE REIGN OF ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES.
• JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS THE LAST PROPHET OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BEFORE THE FINAL DESTRUCTION OF HEROD’S TEMPLE IN 70 AD.
• ASAPH’S QUESTION IS REPEATED. (MAL 6:11)

• “Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand pluck it out of thy bosom

. ” (11)

• THE PICTURESQUE IMAGE IS GOD HOLDING HIS CONGREGATION AND HIS TEMPLE CLOSE TO HIS HEART.
• ASAPH CHANGES THE THEME TO TELL US HOW POWERFUL GOD IS, SO THAT WE WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT GOD, WITH HIS UNLIMITED POWER, COULD STOP THE ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY ON THE TEMPLE AND ON HIS PEOPLE, IF HE WANTED TO DO SO.
• THEREFORE, THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE WAS NOT FOR A LACK OF POWER ON GOD’S PART TO PROTECT THEM, IF HE DESIRED. IT WAS BECAUSE GOD DETERMINED TO LET THE SIN OF ISRAEL REAP ITS REWARD IN A NATURAL WAY.
• GOD PERMITS THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN TO OCCUR SO AS TO PRESSURE HIS PEOPLE BACK TO GOD. (12)
• THE POWER OF GOD IS ADEQUATE TO PROTECT AND TO DESTROY THE ENEMIES OF HIS PEOPLE. (13-18)
• THE DRAGON AND LEVIATHAN
• “LEVIATHAN” = THIS WORD OCCURS 5 TIMES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. THE WORD MEANS = BENDING OR TWISTING, OR GATHERING IN FOLDS. THE SOURCE OF THE WORD IS PROBABLY BABYLONIAN PICTURING THE BENDING AND TWISTING OF THE EUPHRATES RIVERS, AND THE PIERCING SWIFTNESS OF THE TIGRIS RIVER.
• IT IS USED IN THE BIBLE SYMBOLICALLY AS A LARGE MYTHICAL AQUATIC BEAST WITH 7 HEADS. (SIMILAR TO BELIEF IN THE LOCKNESS MONSTER!!)
• EZE 29:3-5 EZEKIEL USES IT SYMBOLICALLY AS A PICTURE OF AN EGYPTIAN PHARAOH.
• ISA 27:1 USES IT SYMBOLICALLY BOTH AS A PICTURE OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE AND THE ANTI-CHRIST.
• “LEVIATHAN, THE PIERCING SERPENT” = PROBABLY SATAN, THE POWER BEHIND THE ANTI-CHRIST.
• “LEVIATHAN, THE CROOKED SERPENT” = PROBABLY SATAN, THE POWER BEHIND THE FALSE PROPHET.
• “THE DRAGON IN THE SEA” = SATAN IN THE MIDST OF HUMANITY. (REV 12:3)
• IN VERSE 19 ASAPH PLEADS WITH GOD:
• ….NOT TO DELIVER HIS PEOPLE, THE TURTLEDOVE, TO THE WICKED ENEMY. (19)
• ….TO REMEMBER HIS COVENENT PROMISES. (20)
• …..TO REMEMBER THAT GOD DESIRED A PEOPLE WHO WOULD WORSHIP AND PRAISE HIM. (21)
• …..TO SPEAK FOR HIMSELF BECAUSE HUMANS ARE WEAK. (22)
• …..TO REMEMBER THE WORDS OF THE ENEMY THAT CURSE GOD. (23)
• APPLICATION:
• THE WISDOM THAT WE ARE TO GAIN FROM THIS PSALM COMES FROM THE ANSWER TO THIS BASIC QUESTION: WHY DOES GOD PERMIT BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?
• GOD IS IN CONTROL OF THE BELIEVER’S LIFE AND PURPOSES THE VERY BEST FOR THE BELIEVER THAT LOVES GOD. THEREFORE, BASED ON GOD’S LOVE FOR HIS CHILDREN, WE MUST TRUST GOD THAT OUT OF THE TRIALS AND PROBLEMS OF LIFE, GOD WILL PRODUCE GOOD FOR HIS GLORY.
• GOD IS NOT NECESSARILY INTERESTED IN OUR COMFORT BUT IN OUR BECOMING LIKE CHRIST. GOD DID NOT SPARE CHRIST, NOR WILL HE NECESSARILY SPARE US.
• IT IS THE PURPOSE AND PLAN OF GOD THAT GLORIFIES THE FATHER THAT IS OF SUPREME IMPORTANCE IN OUR LIVES.

HOMEWORK
PSALMS 75
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacherfor correction.

• APPLICATION OF PSA 74
• HAVE YOU COME TO THE POINT IN YOUR LIFE WHERE YOU TRUST GOD THROUGH YOUR TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU?
• IF YOU STRUGGLE WITH THIS, FIND SOME SCRIPTURES THAT REASSURE YOU OF THE LOVE OF GOD.

• PREPARATION FOR PSA 75
• READ PSA 75:1-10
• ACCORDING TO VERSE 7, GOD PUTS PEOPLE INTO AUTHORITY OVER US.
• WHY DO YOU THINK GOD PUTS BAD LEADERS IN AUTHORITY OVER GOOD PEOPLE?

MEMORY VERSE: PSA 75:7