Lesson #12 P3

Related Articles

Part 3 Syllabus

January 2, 2010

Lesson 01 part 3

January 2, 2010

Lesson #02 part 3

January 2, 2010

RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

PSALMS 83
Lesson 12/P3
GOD’S ULTIMATE JUSTICE

• MEMORY VERSE: PSA 83:18

• SUBTITLE: A PSALM OF ASAPH
• THIS PSALM IS THE LAST IN THE SERIES WRITTEN BY ASAPH.
• THIS PSALM IS A CRY FOR JUSTICE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PSALMS OF THIS TYPE THAT PLEAD WITH GOD TO BRING JUSTICE TO ISRAEL AGAINST HER ENEMIES.

• HOWEVER, THIS PSALM IS A LITTLE DIFERENT. WITH THE OTHER PSALMS OF THIS TYPE IT IS POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC INCIDENT IN ISRAEL’S HISTORY, A SPECIFIC TIME REFERENCE, OR A SPECIFIC ENEMY. IN THIS WAY IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIND SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION FROM OTHER PARTS OF SCRIPTURE.
• THIS PSALM IS DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY IN THIS WAY. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY WHO HAVE TRIED TO FIT THIS PSALM INTO SOME PART OF ISRAEL’S HISTORY WITHOUT SUCCESS.

 

• READ PSA 83:1-18
• THE ENEMY:
  • WHILE WE CANNOT SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFY THE ENEMY, THE BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST HAS AN ENEMY THAT HATES GOD AND CONTINUALLY RAISES HIS HEAD IN DEFIANCE AGAINST GOD AND AGAINST GOD’S CHILDREN. (2)
• THE “HIDDEN ONES” (3)
  • BECAUSE WE CANNOT FIT THIS PSALM INTO ISRAEL’S PAST, PERHAPS IT IS BETTER TO VIEW IT AS PROPHETIC OF ISRAEL’S FUTURE.
    • WHEN WILL ISRAEL BE THE “HIDDEN ONES”?
      • IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD WHEN THE ANTICHRIST BECOMES ISRAEL’S ENEMY IN THE LAST HALF OF THAT SEVEN-YEAR PERIOD, ISRAEL WILL FLEE THE PERSECUTION OF THE ANTICHRIST.
        • READ MAT 24:15-22
          • THIS FLIGHT FROM PERSECUTION BY THE ANTICHRIST OCCURS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
        • READ REV 12:1-6
          • GOD WILL PREPARE A REFUGE FOR ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS.
            • THERE ARE MANY WHO THINK THIS PLACE IS THE CITY OF PETRA IN WHAT IS NOW THE NATION OF JORDAN.
• THE LIST OF THOSE ENEMIES WHO CONSULT TOGETHER, SELAH (5-8)
  • THE EDOMITES
  • THE ISHMAELITES
  • THE MOABITES
  • THE AMMONITES
  • THE AMALEKITES
  • THE PHILISTINES
  • THE ASSYRIANS
    • ALL THROUGH ISRAEL’S HISTORY THESE SAME ENEMIES ARE FREQUENTLY MENTIONED BUT NEVER AS CONSULTING TOGETHER ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
    • IF WE STOP AND THINK ABOUT THIS, WE SEE THAT THESE NATIONS AND ETHNIC GROUPS NO LONGER EXIST AS NATIONAL IDENTITIES TODAY. HOWEVER, WE COULD SAY THAT THEY REPRESENT ISRAEL’S ENEMIES TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE, ESPECIALLY IN THEIR ATTITUDE AND OBEJECTIVE.
• NOTICE THAT THEIR ONE OBJECTIVE IS STATED IN VERSE 4.

 

• “They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.”

 

• REMARKABLY THIS IS THE PRESENT-DAY ATTITUDE AGAINST ISRAEL BY THE REST OF THE WORLD, BOTH ARAB AND MOSLEM. IT IS SATAN’S DESIRE THAT ISRAEL CEASE TO EXIST AS A NATION.
• WHY WILL GOD NOT PERMIT VERSE 4 TO OCCUR? (TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, YOU NEED TO CONSIDER, WHAT IS ISRAEL’S VALUE IN GOD’S PLAN?)
  • ISRAEL IS THE APPLE OF GOD’S EYE, THE CENTER OF GOD’S PLAN. ALL THE PROMISES THAT GOD MADE TO ABRAHAM AND TO DAVID CONCERNING A LAND, A KINGDOM, A KING, AND A PEOPLE ARE DEPENDENT UPON THE ETERNAL EXISTENCE OF ISRAEL.
    • IF ISRAEL CEASES TO EXIST, GOD CANNOT FULFILL HIS PROMISES. IF GOD CANNOT FULFILL HIS PROMISES, HE IS NOT IN CONTROL OF THIS WORLD, AND NEITHER DOES HE HAVE POWER TO PRESERVE HIS PEOPLE. THIS IS WHAT SATAN HOPES TO PROVE.
    • THEREFORE, GOD’S REPUTATION IS BASED ON THE CONTINUAL EXISTENCE OF ISRAEL.
• THE PSALMIST PLEADS WITH GOD FOR JUSTICE IN THE SAME WAY AS GOD HAS BROUGHT JUSTICE IN THE PAST.

• THE PSALMIST MENTIONS TWO INCIDENTS IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES.
  • READ JDG 4:1-3, 13-23
  • READ JDG 7:19-25
• ISRAEL’S PRAYER AGAINST THE ENEMY: (13-15)

 

• “O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.”

 

(13)
• A SPECIAL NOTE

:

• AS NEW TESTAMENT BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST, WE DO NOT PRAY THIS KIND OF PRAYER AGAINST OUR ENEMIES. THIS IS A TYPE OF PRAYER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT ECONOMY OF GOD.
  • JESUS TELLS US IN MAT 5:44 TO PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES, NOT AGAINST THEM.
• THIS TYPE OF PRAYER AGAINST THE ENEMY IS ISRAEL’S COLLECTIVE PRAYER AGAINST HER ENEMIES. IT IS NOT A PERSONAL PRAYER.
• ISRAEL’S REQUEST IS THAT GOD WILL EXECUTE VENGEANCE AND JUDGMENT IN PERFECT JUSTICE AS ONLY GOD CAN DO.
  • NOTICE WHAT SHOULD BE GOD’S MOTIVE IN BRINGING THE PRESSURES OF JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE:

 

• “…that they may seek thy name, O LORD.”

 

(16)
• HOWEVER, IF THE ENEMY DOES NOT TURN IN REPENTANCE TO SEEK GOD, THE PSALMIST CALLS FOR A BROADER TESTIMONY.

 

• “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”

 

(18)
• GOD’S JUSTICE ON BEHALF OF GOD’S PEOPLE, IS A UNIVERSAL TESTIMONY THAT GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY AND FAITHFUL TO COME TO THE AID OF HIS PEOPLE, FOR GOD’S NAME AND REPUTATION SPEAKS OF GOD’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION AND RESTORATION.
• CONCLUSION:

• EVEN IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD WHEN THE ENTIRE WORLD SURROUNDS ISRAEL IN THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON TO SEEK HER TOTAL DESTRUCTION, GOD WILL NOT PERMIT IT. HE WILL COME TO ISRAEL’S AID BY SENDING JESUS CHRIST IN HIS SECOND COMING TO PREVENT THAT TOTAL DESTRUCTION AND TO ESTABLISH CHRIST’S REIGN ON EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS SO AS TO FULFILL ALL THE PROPHETIC PROMISES MADE TO ABRAHAM AND DAVID.
  • THAT IS WHEN GOD WILL FULFILL VERSE 18 FOR ALL WILL KNOW THE NAME JESHOVAH AND HE TRULY WILL BE THE MOST HIGH OVER ALL THE EARTH.

HOMEWORK
PSALMS 84
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• APPLICATION OF PSA 83
  • GOD’S LOVE, PROTECTION, AND JUSTICE IS THE SAME FOR GOD’S NEW TESTAMENT PEOPLE AS IT WAS FOR THE ISRAELITES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. IF YOU SUFFER PERSECUTION FROM ENEMIES, YOU CAN BE ENCOURAGED TO KNOW THAT GOD’S PROMISE IS THE SAME. HE WILL BRING JUSTICE IN THE END.

 

• PREPARATION FOR PSA 84
• READ PSA 84:1-12
  • MAKE A LIST OF THE THOUGHTS THAT ENCOURAGE THE CHRISTIAN WHO IS WORRIED OVER GOD’S UNWILLINGNESS TO SUPPLY PERSONAL NEEDS.

 

• MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 84:4