Go and teach all nations
God and the gods
Psalm 82
Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like a light through the sky". (Luke 10: 18)
Psalm 82
(This is) a psalm of Asaph.
v1 God is the leader of a meeting of the powerful ones. He is telling the gods what he has decided.
v2 (He says) "How long will you not be fair to people? (How long) will you say that the godless are right?" SELAH
v3 Be fair and give help to:
• people that are weak
• children with dead parents
• people that are poor
• anyone that has nothing
v4 Make the poor people safe and give them the help that they need. Take them away from the power of the godless.
v5 They (the godless) know nothing and they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness. The ground beneath them moves about.
v6 I (God) say, "You are gods and you are all sons of the Most High.
v7 But you will die like Adam. You will fall like rulers".
v8 God, stand up and rule the earth, because all the countries in it belong to you.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 82
We do not know who wrote this psalm, or when. It is a picture of God leading a meeting in heaven, where he lives. He is telling the gods what he has decided to do. Who are these gods? Bible students suggest four answers:
• the rulers of countries on the earth, like kings
• the false gods of the countries on the earth
• the people of Israel 2500 years ago
• angels that have authority over countries on earth
Now the first three of these are either human, or gods made by human people. But verses 6 and 7 of the psalm may tell us that these gods are not human. They are "sons of the Most High (who will) die like Adam". We could translate "Adam" here as "men". In verse 6, "sons of the Most High" means "sons of God". This either means angels (who live with God in heaven) or his people Israel (Exodus 4:22). It is easiest to read the psalm with two meanings. At first, "the gods" meant "the people of Israel". Now it means "angels with authority over countries of the earth" (Ephesians 6:10).
There is a picture in the first chapter of the Book of Job in the Bible. The picture shows the angels meeting God in heaven.
There was a day when the sons of God came to show themselves to the LORD. And Satan came also among them. And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" And Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going here and there in the earth and walking about in it". And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you thought about my servant Job. There is nobody like him on the earth. He is good, so good; and he obeys God and does nothing wrong". Then Satan answered the LORD. He said, "Job has a good reason to obey God. Have you not made him safe, him and his house and all that belongs to him? You have made everything that he does work well. He gets more and more things in the land. But if you lift up your hand and hit him, he will say bad things to your face!" And the LORD said to Satan, "Look, you can do what you like with everything that he has. But do not hurt Job himself". So Satan went out from where God was.
This is the story of something that happened in heaven. The sons of God came to where God was. Satan was with them. They talked together. Then Satan went and did bad things to Job. The whole story is in the book of Job. The important thing for us to understand from this is: God has meetings in heaven with people that are not men but angels! Satan is the leader of the bad angels.
Psalm 82 may be about another meeting like this. God is meeting some of the angels that have power in the world. They get the rulers of the world to do bad things. These angels are not good angels like Gabriel. They are bad angels like Satan. Bible students call them "fallen angels" or "bad spirits". In the psalm, God says that he wants the rulers of the world to be good to poor people. There are two more questions to answer:
1. Why are these fallen angels called "gods"? Every Hebrew word that we translate "god" (or "God") means something. The word "adonai" means "ruler"; the word "yahweh" means "alive"; the word "elyon" means "most important"; and the word "elohim" means "powers". So these angels are "gods" because they have "powers". But they are not more powerful than God is. They must obey him! The Bible tells us that "the god of this world" is a bad god (2 Corinthians 4:4). He tries to stop people asking Jesus for help.
2. Who are the "godless" in the psalm? In the meeting, verse 1, they may be Israel’s rulers. But also, they may be the bad angels that make other rulers and kings do bad things. It is important to understand that Israel in the psalm is the Israel of 2500 years ago, not of today.
What Psalm 82 means
Verse 1: The word we translated "meeting" is one that the Bible uses to describe Israel. That is why some Bible students think "the powerful" means Israel’s leaders. Some of them are hurting God’s people. "The powerful" may also mean "bad angels". They make rulers do bad things to God’s people and other poor people.
Verse 2: God asks two questions. The answer to both is ‘Until God decides to give help to poor people that need it’. ‘You’ means the rulers of Israel, and the bad angels that have authority on earth.
Verses 3 – 4: God gives help by making the rulers and important people obey him.
Verse 5: This tells us that the godless do not know what they are doing. They are like men who cannot see their way in the dark. As they walk, they think that the ground is moving under their feet!
Verses 6 – 7: God tells the gods that they will die like men. The reason is the same: they have not obeyed God. Just because they are important people or angels, that will not save them from death.
Verse 8: Here is a prayer that we can all say!
Something to do
1. Learn to say Psalm 82:8 by heart. This means that you can say it without looking at the words. When bad things happen, pray these words to God.
2. If you have a Bible, read: John 10:31-39; Ephesians 6:12.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 81
Go and teach all nations
Start The Music!
Psalm 81
Jesus said, "Can the bridegroom’s friends be sad when the bridegroom is with them?" (Matthew 9: 15).
Psalm 81
(This is) for the music leader. (Use) Gittith. (It is a psalm) of Asaph.
v1 Sing to God because you are so happy! (Do this because) God makes us strong!
Shout aloud to the God of Jacob.
v2 Start the music! Hit the tambourine and make beautiful sounds on the harp and the lyre.
v3 Start the New Moon Festival with the sound of the shofar. Do it at the Full Moon (Festival) also.
v4 For this is a rule for Israel, something that the God of Jacob said that we must do.
v5 He told it to Joseph when he attacked the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not understand.
v6 (It said) "I took the weight off his shoulders. His hands did not have to carry a heavy basket (any more).
v7 When you had trouble, you called (to me) and I made you safe. I gave you help from the centre of the storm. I tested you at the Waters of Meribah. SELAH
v8 My people, hear me! You are near to danger. Israel, I really want you to listen to me!
v9 There should not be another god among you and you certainly should not go down on your knees to another god.
v10 I am the LORD your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it".
v11 But my people did not listen to my voice and Israel did not obey me.
v12 And so I let them follow their own ideas. They did whatever they wanted to do.
v13 I want my people to listen to me! I want Israel to walk in my ways!
v14 Then I would quickly beat all their enemies and fight against all those that are angry with them.
v15 The people that hate the LORD will be afraid of him and this will happen for a long time.
v16 But he would feed him (Israel) with the best wheat and I would give you (Israel) plenty of honey from the rock.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 81
Harvest time is when we pick fruit and vegetables. The Jews had three big harvest times:
• April, when they picked barley (to make bread)
• May, when they picked wheat (also to make bread)
• October, when they picked grapes (to make wine). Wine is a drink with alcohol in it.
Psalm 81 is a Festival Psalm. The festival was at the time of the grape harvest. They called it "the festival of tents". Tents were houses made of animal skins. At the festival of tents the Jews lived for a week in tents. This taught them how they lived when God took them out of Egypt, hundreds of years before. It told them how good God was to them.
Psalm 81 taught the Jews that, now God had brought them into their own land, they should have no other gods. Then he would give them help against their enemies, as he did in Egypt.
Some Bible students think that Psalm 81 came from the north part of Israel. Its date was about 750 years before Christ came to the earth.
What Psalm 81 means
Study the psalm in three parts:
• Verses 1 – 4: Now the Festival
• Verses 5 – 7: What God did in Egypt
• Verses 8 – 16: Trouble when you have other gods
In verses 1 and 4, "Jacob" is another name for "Israel", so "God of Jacob" means "God of Israel". Really, there were two festivals in October, one when the moon was new, the other 2 weeks later when it was full. They are both in verse 3. The second one was the festival of tents. Older Bibles may call it "the feast of booths" or "the feast of tabernacles".
In verse 5, Bible students are not certain whether the second "he" is Joseph or God. Joseph, as Jacob, is another name for Israel. If it is God, then "attacked" is when God led his people out from Egypt. If it is Joseph, then we should translate "attacked" as "became great in". "The language" must have been words that God said. Maybe "understand" means "believe"! Verse 6 tells us about the hard work that God’s people did in Egypt. Some parts of the Bible suggest that God lives in storms, verse 7. The Waters (or Lakes) of Meribah were on the way from Egypt to Israel. The story is in Exodus 17:1-7. Bible students think that SELAH means "stop and pray, or think, or make music".
In verses 8 - 10 ,God speaks to his people. He warns them (tells them of the danger) of other gods. These gods are false gods, because there is only one real God. "Open your mouth wide" means "open it as much as you can". "I will fill it" may mean:
• with food, as in verse 16, or
• with the right words to say and pray, not the wrong ones as in verses 10 and 11.
In verse 11 "follow their own ideas" is an English way to say "do whatever they think".
Verses 13 and 14 suggest that "following their own ideas" had brought trouble. The psalm does not say what the trouble was. But it does say that if they obey God the trouble will stop. God would make their enemies obey him, verse 15, and be good to his own people, verse 16.
Something to do
1. Tell God that you will listen to him and walk in his ways. ("Walk in his ways" means "do what he tells you to do".)
2. Learn how to hear God’s voice as you read the Bible. Some words will be special to you ... that is the voice of God!
3. Study Psalm 81 as Hebrew poetry. Poetry is a special way to use words. Find how many verses in Psalm 81 say the same thing in two ways. A good example is verse 13. "I want my people to listen to me" means the same as "I want Israel to walk in my ways".
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Start The Music!
Psalm 81
Jesus said, "Can the bridegroom’s friends be sad when the bridegroom is with them?" (Matthew 9: 15).
Psalm 81
(This is) for the music leader. (Use) Gittith. (It is a psalm) of Asaph.
v1 Sing to God because you are so happy! (Do this because) God makes us strong!
Shout aloud to the God of Jacob.
v2 Start the music! Hit the tambourine and make beautiful sounds on the harp and the lyre.
v3 Start the New Moon Festival with the sound of the shofar. Do it at the Full Moon (Festival) also.
v4 For this is a rule for Israel, something that the God of Jacob said that we must do.
v5 He told it to Joseph when he attacked the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not understand.
v6 (It said) "I took the weight off his shoulders. His hands did not have to carry a heavy basket (any more).
v7 When you had trouble, you called (to me) and I made you safe. I gave you help from the centre of the storm. I tested you at the Waters of Meribah. SELAH
v8 My people, hear me! You are near to danger. Israel, I really want you to listen to me!
v9 There should not be another god among you and you certainly should not go down on your knees to another god.
v10 I am the LORD your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it".
v11 But my people did not listen to my voice and Israel did not obey me.
v12 And so I let them follow their own ideas. They did whatever they wanted to do.
v13 I want my people to listen to me! I want Israel to walk in my ways!
v14 Then I would quickly beat all their enemies and fight against all those that are angry with them.
v15 The people that hate the LORD will be afraid of him and this will happen for a long time.
v16 But he would feed him (Israel) with the best wheat and I would give you (Israel) plenty of honey from the rock.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 81
Harvest time is when we pick fruit and vegetables. The Jews had three big harvest times:
• April, when they picked barley (to make bread)
• May, when they picked wheat (also to make bread)
• October, when they picked grapes (to make wine). Wine is a drink with alcohol in it.
Psalm 81 is a Festival Psalm. The festival was at the time of the grape harvest. They called it "the festival of tents". Tents were houses made of animal skins. At the festival of tents the Jews lived for a week in tents. This taught them how they lived when God took them out of Egypt, hundreds of years before. It told them how good God was to them.
Psalm 81 taught the Jews that, now God had brought them into their own land, they should have no other gods. Then he would give them help against their enemies, as he did in Egypt.
Some Bible students think that Psalm 81 came from the north part of Israel. Its date was about 750 years before Christ came to the earth.
What Psalm 81 means
Study the psalm in three parts:
• Verses 1 – 4: Now the Festival
• Verses 5 – 7: What God did in Egypt
• Verses 8 – 16: Trouble when you have other gods
In verses 1 and 4, "Jacob" is another name for "Israel", so "God of Jacob" means "God of Israel". Really, there were two festivals in October, one when the moon was new, the other 2 weeks later when it was full. They are both in verse 3. The second one was the festival of tents. Older Bibles may call it "the feast of booths" or "the feast of tabernacles".
In verse 5, Bible students are not certain whether the second "he" is Joseph or God. Joseph, as Jacob, is another name for Israel. If it is God, then "attacked" is when God led his people out from Egypt. If it is Joseph, then we should translate "attacked" as "became great in". "The language" must have been words that God said. Maybe "understand" means "believe"! Verse 6 tells us about the hard work that God’s people did in Egypt. Some parts of the Bible suggest that God lives in storms, verse 7. The Waters (or Lakes) of Meribah were on the way from Egypt to Israel. The story is in Exodus 17:1-7. Bible students think that SELAH means "stop and pray, or think, or make music".
In verses 8 - 10 ,God speaks to his people. He warns them (tells them of the danger) of other gods. These gods are false gods, because there is only one real God. "Open your mouth wide" means "open it as much as you can". "I will fill it" may mean:
• with food, as in verse 16, or
• with the right words to say and pray, not the wrong ones as in verses 10 and 11.
In verse 11 "follow their own ideas" is an English way to say "do whatever they think".
Verses 13 and 14 suggest that "following their own ideas" had brought trouble. The psalm does not say what the trouble was. But it does say that if they obey God the trouble will stop. God would make their enemies obey him, verse 15, and be good to his own people, verse 16.
Something to do
1. Tell God that you will listen to him and walk in his ways. ("Walk in his ways" means "do what he tells you to do".)
2. Learn how to hear God’s voice as you read the Bible. Some words will be special to you ... that is the voice of God!
3. Study Psalm 81 as Hebrew poetry. Poetry is a special way to use words. Find how many verses in Psalm 81 say the same thing in two ways. A good example is verse 13. "I want my people to listen to me" means the same as "I want Israel to walk in my ways".
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Monday, May 29, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 80
Go and teach all nations
Make Us United
Psalm 80
Jesus said, "I pray for the people that will believe in me … that they may be united. Then the world will believe that you sent me". (John 17: 20 - 21)
Psalm 80
(This is) for the music leader. (Sing it) to (music that they call) "Lilies of the Covenant". (It is) a psalm of Asaph.
v1 Shepherd of Israel, listen to us! You are the one that leads Joseph like a flock. You sit like a king between the Cherubim.
v2 Shine on Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Get up and show how strong you are. Come and make us safe.
v3 God, make us return (to you). Make your face shine (on us) and make us safe.
v4 LORD God (of) Sabaoth, how long will you be angry when your people pray?
v5 You have fed them tears for food and buckets of tears for drink.
v6 You have made the people that live near us fight (us) and our enemies laugh among themselves (at us).
v7 God (of) Sabaoth, make us return (to you). Make your face shine (on us) and make us safe.
v8 You brought a vine from Egypt. You moved away the people that lived (in the land) and planted it.
v9 You made (the ground) ready for it, so that it grew and filled the land.
v10 Its shade covered the mountains (in the south) and its branches covered the big cedar (trees in the north).
v11 Its branches reached the (Mediterranean) Sea (in the west) and the River (Euphrates in the east).
v12 Why have you knocked down its walls so that anyone that passes can rob its fruit?
v13 Pigs from the woods attack it and wild animals destroy it.
v14 Come back to us, God (of) Sabaoth! Look down from heaven and see (us)!
Be careful with this vine...
v15 ...that your right hand planted. (The vine is) the son that you made strong for yourself.
v16 You let (the enemy) cut down your vine and burn it with fire. Destroy them (the enemy) because you are angry!
v17 Let your hand be on the man at your right hand. (He is) the son of man that you made strong for yourself.
v18 Then we will never turn away from you. Give us life and we will (always) praise your name.
v19 LORD God (of) Sabaoth, make us return (to you). Make your face shine (on us) and make us safe.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 80
Some Bible students think that someone wrote this psalm 700 years before Jesus came to the earth.
There were 4 kings of all Israel, Saul, David, Solomon and Rehoboam. While Rehoboam was king, the country became two kingdoms. The north was Israel, the south was Judah. There were 10 groups (or tribes) of people in the north, and 2 in the south. Ephraim and Manasseh and Simeon were tribes in the kingdom in the north. The tribes in the south were Judah and Benjamin. Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin always went together when the Jews walked from Egypt to the Promised Land. (The Promised Land was where they came to live. We call it Israel.) But in 720 BC, Assyria beat the kingdom in the north, and took the 10 tribes away.
In this psalm, the psalmist prays that the tribes may become united again. Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Joseph. Both Joseph and Benjamin were sons of Rachel. Rachel was the wife of Jacob. His other name was Israel. The Bible uses all three names for God’s people ... Israel, Jacob and Joseph!
Other Bible students think that this psalm came after the exile. The exile was when the king of the country of Babylon took the people in the south kingdom away. This happened in 587 B.C. (B.C. means ‘years Before Christ came to the earth.) These students think that the psalmist is praying for all the tribes to become united again in the Promised Land.
What Psalm 80 means
Study this psalm in three parts: each part ends "Make us return (to you). Make your face shine (on us) and make us safe". Bible students are not sure if "return" means "return from exile" in Assyria or Babylon; or "return to God from the wrong things we have done". Our translation chooses the second meaning, but both could be true. "Make your face shine" is how the Jews said, "Do something good for us". This is what we call "The covenant". If God’s people obey him, he will make them safe. In verse 1 Joseph means the same as Israel, God’s people. Maybe the psalmist used the name Joseph because he was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh. The words "shine on" at the start of verse 2 are in verse 1 in the Hebrew Bible. As in verses 3, 7 and 19, "shine" here means "do something good". The good thing the psalmist wants is for all the people to be united in their own country. "Get up" in the Hebrew Bible is "wake up".
In the second part, verses 4 - 7, the psalmist asks God how long it will be before:
• God stops being angry with them
• God stops making them cry buckets full of tears
• God stops their enemies fighting them and laughing at them
In verses 4 (and 19) we have the name LORD God of Sabaoth. Isaiah and Jeremiah often used this name. Each part of the name means something. LORD means that he will always be alive. God means that he is powerful. Sabaoth means that he has great armies, both on earth and in heaven.
In the last part of the psalm, the vine is a picture of God’s people. He brought them from Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel, verse 8. They lived in it from the Sea in the west to the River in the east, from the mountains in the south to Lebanon in the north, verses 9 - 11.They used to build walls round vines to keep them safe. But God knocked down these walls and let wild animals attack and destroy it, verses 12 -13. The wild animals are a picture of Israel’s enemies. Then the psalmist prays that God will do something and send help to Israel, verses 14 - 19. "Hand" and "right hand" are Bible-pictures of God doing something in our world. "The son", verse 15, and "the man" and "the son of man", verse 17, are all names for God’s people Israel. Some Bible students think that it may be the king of Israel.
Something to do
1. If you have a Bible, read about why Simeon and Levi did not have a part of the *Promised Land. You will find help in Genesis 49:5-7 and Joshua 19:1-9 and all of Joshua 21.
2. When something bad happens to you or your church or your country, pray the words of verse 19.
3. Ask God to be your shepherd, and to make you one of his flock. If you can, read Psalm 23 in this series of psalms.
4. Count how many times "sabaoth" happens in this psalm. Remember what it means: God has armies to give him (and you!) help.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Make Us United
Psalm 80
Jesus said, "I pray for the people that will believe in me … that they may be united. Then the world will believe that you sent me". (John 17: 20 - 21)
Psalm 80
(This is) for the music leader. (Sing it) to (music that they call) "Lilies of the Covenant". (It is) a psalm of Asaph.
v1 Shepherd of Israel, listen to us! You are the one that leads Joseph like a flock. You sit like a king between the Cherubim.
v2 Shine on Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Get up and show how strong you are. Come and make us safe.
v3 God, make us return (to you). Make your face shine (on us) and make us safe.
v4 LORD God (of) Sabaoth, how long will you be angry when your people pray?
v5 You have fed them tears for food and buckets of tears for drink.
v6 You have made the people that live near us fight (us) and our enemies laugh among themselves (at us).
v7 God (of) Sabaoth, make us return (to you). Make your face shine (on us) and make us safe.
v8 You brought a vine from Egypt. You moved away the people that lived (in the land) and planted it.
v9 You made (the ground) ready for it, so that it grew and filled the land.
v10 Its shade covered the mountains (in the south) and its branches covered the big cedar (trees in the north).
v11 Its branches reached the (Mediterranean) Sea (in the west) and the River (Euphrates in the east).
v12 Why have you knocked down its walls so that anyone that passes can rob its fruit?
v13 Pigs from the woods attack it and wild animals destroy it.
v14 Come back to us, God (of) Sabaoth! Look down from heaven and see (us)!
Be careful with this vine...
v15 ...that your right hand planted. (The vine is) the son that you made strong for yourself.
v16 You let (the enemy) cut down your vine and burn it with fire. Destroy them (the enemy) because you are angry!
v17 Let your hand be on the man at your right hand. (He is) the son of man that you made strong for yourself.
v18 Then we will never turn away from you. Give us life and we will (always) praise your name.
v19 LORD God (of) Sabaoth, make us return (to you). Make your face shine (on us) and make us safe.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 80
Some Bible students think that someone wrote this psalm 700 years before Jesus came to the earth.
There were 4 kings of all Israel, Saul, David, Solomon and Rehoboam. While Rehoboam was king, the country became two kingdoms. The north was Israel, the south was Judah. There were 10 groups (or tribes) of people in the north, and 2 in the south. Ephraim and Manasseh and Simeon were tribes in the kingdom in the north. The tribes in the south were Judah and Benjamin. Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin always went together when the Jews walked from Egypt to the Promised Land. (The Promised Land was where they came to live. We call it Israel.) But in 720 BC, Assyria beat the kingdom in the north, and took the 10 tribes away.
In this psalm, the psalmist prays that the tribes may become united again. Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Joseph. Both Joseph and Benjamin were sons of Rachel. Rachel was the wife of Jacob. His other name was Israel. The Bible uses all three names for God’s people ... Israel, Jacob and Joseph!
Other Bible students think that this psalm came after the exile. The exile was when the king of the country of Babylon took the people in the south kingdom away. This happened in 587 B.C. (B.C. means ‘years Before Christ came to the earth.) These students think that the psalmist is praying for all the tribes to become united again in the Promised Land.
What Psalm 80 means
Study this psalm in three parts: each part ends "Make us return (to you). Make your face shine (on us) and make us safe". Bible students are not sure if "return" means "return from exile" in Assyria or Babylon; or "return to God from the wrong things we have done". Our translation chooses the second meaning, but both could be true. "Make your face shine" is how the Jews said, "Do something good for us". This is what we call "The covenant". If God’s people obey him, he will make them safe. In verse 1 Joseph means the same as Israel, God’s people. Maybe the psalmist used the name Joseph because he was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh. The words "shine on" at the start of verse 2 are in verse 1 in the Hebrew Bible. As in verses 3, 7 and 19, "shine" here means "do something good". The good thing the psalmist wants is for all the people to be united in their own country. "Get up" in the Hebrew Bible is "wake up".
In the second part, verses 4 - 7, the psalmist asks God how long it will be before:
• God stops being angry with them
• God stops making them cry buckets full of tears
• God stops their enemies fighting them and laughing at them
In verses 4 (and 19) we have the name LORD God of Sabaoth. Isaiah and Jeremiah often used this name. Each part of the name means something. LORD means that he will always be alive. God means that he is powerful. Sabaoth means that he has great armies, both on earth and in heaven.
In the last part of the psalm, the vine is a picture of God’s people. He brought them from Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel, verse 8. They lived in it from the Sea in the west to the River in the east, from the mountains in the south to Lebanon in the north, verses 9 - 11.They used to build walls round vines to keep them safe. But God knocked down these walls and let wild animals attack and destroy it, verses 12 -13. The wild animals are a picture of Israel’s enemies. Then the psalmist prays that God will do something and send help to Israel, verses 14 - 19. "Hand" and "right hand" are Bible-pictures of God doing something in our world. "The son", verse 15, and "the man" and "the son of man", verse 17, are all names for God’s people Israel. Some Bible students think that it may be the king of Israel.
Something to do
1. If you have a Bible, read about why Simeon and Levi did not have a part of the *Promised Land. You will find help in Genesis 49:5-7 and Joshua 19:1-9 and all of Joshua 21.
2. When something bad happens to you or your church or your country, pray the words of verse 19.
3. Ask God to be your shepherd, and to make you one of his flock. If you can, read Psalm 23 in this series of psalms.
4. Count how many times "sabaoth" happens in this psalm. Remember what it means: God has armies to give him (and you!) help.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 79
Go and teach all nations
For the Glory of Your Name
Psalm 79
For the kingdom is always yours and the power is always yours and the glory is always yours (Matthew 6:13).
Psalm 79
(This is) a psalm of Asaph.
v1 God, countries that do not love you have attacked us. They have taken away your land. They have done bad things to your holy temple so that we cannot worship you in it. They have destroyed Jerusalem.
v2 They have given the dead bodies of your people to the birds (that fly) in the air for food. They have given the bodies of your servants for wild animals to eat.
v3 They have poured out the blood (of your servants) like water all round Jerusalem. There was nobody to bury your people.
v4 Our neighbors just laugh at us. The people that live near us scorn us.
v5 How long will this continue? (God), will you always be angry? Will your jealousy burn like a fire for ever?
v6 Be very angry with the countries that do not love you and the nations that do not pray to you.
v7 Because they have beaten Jacob and destroyed the land where he lived.
v8 Do not be angry with us because of the wrong things that our fathers did. Have mercy on us soon. We have lost all our hope.
v9 God, give us help! (You are the God) that can save us. For the glory of your name, save us. So that your name will always be famous, forgive our sins.
v10 Why should the countries that do not love God say, "Where is their God?" We want to see you become angry with these countries, because they poured out the blood of your servants.
v11 Listen to the prisoners that are crying! By the power of your arm, save those that are going to die.
v12 Lord, make the countries that do not love you have seven times as much trouble as we have had! Because they said bad things to you.
v13 Then we, your people (who are as) sheep in your field, will always thank you. So will our children and grandchildren.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 79
Something bad had happened to the Jews. They had not obeyed God, so he let their enemies beat them. Bible students think that this happened 600 years before Jesus came to the earth. A country called Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took many people away as prisoners. Maybe this psalm is by one of the prisoners. He asks God to do to the Babylonians what they had done to the Jews, only worse. We call psalms like this "Psalms of Imprecation". You can read about them at the end of Psalm 69 in this series of psalms. Psalm 69 is in Book 2 of The Psalms of David.
The reason that he gives is this. If God does nothing, people will think that God is weak, or even that there is no God! That is why he says in verse 9 "For the glory of your name, save us. So that your name will always be famous, forgive us our sins". And in verse 10 "Where is their God?"
"The countries that do not love God" in verses 1, 6, 10, 12 translates just one Hebrew word, "countries" or "nations". Here it means just Babylon, but it could mean any country that hurts God’s people.
What Psalm 79 means
Verse 1: The "bad things" include foreign soldiers going into the temple. This meant that they had defiled it (made it dirty). That meant that Jews could not use it. Also, the soldiers knocked the temple down, so it could not be used anyway!
Verses 2 – 3: One of the worst things that you could do to your enemy was not to bury him when he was dead. That is what happened here. Instead, wild animals and birds ate the bodies.
Verse 4: The neighbors are the countries near Judah. They included Edom. The book in the Bible, "Obadiah" tells us that the Edomites were very happy when Babylon destroyed Judah. Also, they took things that belonged to the Jews, and did not let some of them run away from the Babylonians to a safe place.
Verse 5: Jealousy is a special anger. It is when you are angry because someone you love stops loving you and loves someone else. Or, when someone hurts someone that you love. Here it maybe means both. God is angry with the Jews for not obeying him and with Babylon for hurting the Jews.
Verse 7: Jacob is another name for Judah or Israel. So "he lived" means "where the Jews lived".
Verse 8: The Jews had done wrong things for many years. Their fathers and their grandfathers (or their "ancestors") had all done wrong things. They had not obeyed God. So God punished them. This means he let the Babylonians hurt them, even kill many of them. So the psalmist asks for mercy. He asks God to be kind to them again. They had done wrong things but he still wants God to be kind to them.
Verse 9: The psalmist asks God to save them and forgive them. To Christians this means give our sins to Jesus and take us to heaven when we die. To the psalmist it did not mean this. It meant "Give us back our land".
Verse 10: "Poured out the blood" means "killed".
Verse 11: The Babylonians took prisoners to kill some of them. "The power of your arm" means God is showing his power on earth.
Verse 12: "seven times as much" means "a lot".
Verse 13: The psalmist sees God’s people as a group ("flock") of animals together in a field. The Hebrew Bible says "flock", not "sheep", but we have translated it "sheep" because Jesus said that he was "the good Shepherd". A shepherd keeps sheep.
Something to do
1. Read about Psalms of Imprecation in Psalm 69 of this set.
2. Read about Asaph in Psalm 73 of this set.
3. Pray for people that hurt you. Pray that they will learn about God.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
For the Glory of Your Name
Psalm 79
For the kingdom is always yours and the power is always yours and the glory is always yours (Matthew 6:13).
Psalm 79
(This is) a psalm of Asaph.
v1 God, countries that do not love you have attacked us. They have taken away your land. They have done bad things to your holy temple so that we cannot worship you in it. They have destroyed Jerusalem.
v2 They have given the dead bodies of your people to the birds (that fly) in the air for food. They have given the bodies of your servants for wild animals to eat.
v3 They have poured out the blood (of your servants) like water all round Jerusalem. There was nobody to bury your people.
v4 Our neighbors just laugh at us. The people that live near us scorn us.
v5 How long will this continue? (God), will you always be angry? Will your jealousy burn like a fire for ever?
v6 Be very angry with the countries that do not love you and the nations that do not pray to you.
v7 Because they have beaten Jacob and destroyed the land where he lived.
v8 Do not be angry with us because of the wrong things that our fathers did. Have mercy on us soon. We have lost all our hope.
v9 God, give us help! (You are the God) that can save us. For the glory of your name, save us. So that your name will always be famous, forgive our sins.
v10 Why should the countries that do not love God say, "Where is their God?" We want to see you become angry with these countries, because they poured out the blood of your servants.
v11 Listen to the prisoners that are crying! By the power of your arm, save those that are going to die.
v12 Lord, make the countries that do not love you have seven times as much trouble as we have had! Because they said bad things to you.
v13 Then we, your people (who are as) sheep in your field, will always thank you. So will our children and grandchildren.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 79
Something bad had happened to the Jews. They had not obeyed God, so he let their enemies beat them. Bible students think that this happened 600 years before Jesus came to the earth. A country called Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took many people away as prisoners. Maybe this psalm is by one of the prisoners. He asks God to do to the Babylonians what they had done to the Jews, only worse. We call psalms like this "Psalms of Imprecation". You can read about them at the end of Psalm 69 in this series of psalms. Psalm 69 is in Book 2 of The Psalms of David.
The reason that he gives is this. If God does nothing, people will think that God is weak, or even that there is no God! That is why he says in verse 9 "For the glory of your name, save us. So that your name will always be famous, forgive us our sins". And in verse 10 "Where is their God?"
"The countries that do not love God" in verses 1, 6, 10, 12 translates just one Hebrew word, "countries" or "nations". Here it means just Babylon, but it could mean any country that hurts God’s people.
What Psalm 79 means
Verse 1: The "bad things" include foreign soldiers going into the temple. This meant that they had defiled it (made it dirty). That meant that Jews could not use it. Also, the soldiers knocked the temple down, so it could not be used anyway!
Verses 2 – 3: One of the worst things that you could do to your enemy was not to bury him when he was dead. That is what happened here. Instead, wild animals and birds ate the bodies.
Verse 4: The neighbors are the countries near Judah. They included Edom. The book in the Bible, "Obadiah" tells us that the Edomites were very happy when Babylon destroyed Judah. Also, they took things that belonged to the Jews, and did not let some of them run away from the Babylonians to a safe place.
Verse 5: Jealousy is a special anger. It is when you are angry because someone you love stops loving you and loves someone else. Or, when someone hurts someone that you love. Here it maybe means both. God is angry with the Jews for not obeying him and with Babylon for hurting the Jews.
Verse 7: Jacob is another name for Judah or Israel. So "he lived" means "where the Jews lived".
Verse 8: The Jews had done wrong things for many years. Their fathers and their grandfathers (or their "ancestors") had all done wrong things. They had not obeyed God. So God punished them. This means he let the Babylonians hurt them, even kill many of them. So the psalmist asks for mercy. He asks God to be kind to them again. They had done wrong things but he still wants God to be kind to them.
Verse 9: The psalmist asks God to save them and forgive them. To Christians this means give our sins to Jesus and take us to heaven when we die. To the psalmist it did not mean this. It meant "Give us back our land".
Verse 10: "Poured out the blood" means "killed".
Verse 11: The Babylonians took prisoners to kill some of them. "The power of your arm" means God is showing his power on earth.
Verse 12: "seven times as much" means "a lot".
Verse 13: The psalmist sees God’s people as a group ("flock") of animals together in a field. The Hebrew Bible says "flock", not "sheep", but we have translated it "sheep" because Jesus said that he was "the good Shepherd". A shepherd keeps sheep.
Something to do
1. Read about Psalms of Imprecation in Psalm 69 of this set.
2. Read about Asaph in Psalm 73 of this set.
3. Pray for people that hurt you. Pray that they will learn about God.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 78 Part 3
Go and teach all nations
Tell Your Children
Psalm 78 - Part 3
The Israelites In The Holy Land
Psalm 78: 56 - 64
v56 But (the Israelites tested God Most High and fought against him. Also, they did not obey his laws.
v57 They turned away and did not keep the covenant, like their fathers. They were like a bow that would not shoot straight!
v58 They made him angry with their high places and their idols made him jealous.
v59 When God heard this, he was angry and he stopped giving them help completely.
v60 He left his house (the tent) at Shiloh, the place where he had lived on earth.
v61 He gave his power and his glory to the enemy for them to keep.
v62 He let the sword kill his people, he was so angry with them.
v63 The fire (of war) ate their young men and the young girls did not hear music (when they married).
v64 The sword killed their priests and their wives could not cry for them.
Comments
What verses 56 - 64 mean
In verses 9-31, we read about God’s people Israel (the Israelites) in the desert. They were coming from Egypt to the holy land. In verses 40-55, we read about the plagues that God used to get them out of Egypt. Now in verses 56-64, we read about Israel (the people) in Israel (the land). They turned away from God and did not obey him. They were like "a bow that did not shoot straight", verse 57. A bow like this is not good. So, the people of Israel were not good. Instead of loving and worshipping God in his house in Shiloh, they loved idols instead. They put these idols on high hills, where they worshipped them, verse 58. Shiloh was a place about 30 kilometers north of Jerusalem. They kept the ark there. The ark was a box. They kept the covenant-rules in it. But God was so angry because of their idol worship that he:
• went away from the house that they had made him at Shiloh
• did not give them any more help
• gave the ark (his power and glory) to their enemy, the Philistines
• let the enemy kill many of the people of Israel
The story about this is in I Samuel 4 and 5. The wife of a priest had a baby when the Philistines took the ark of God. She called the baby Ichabod. This is a Hebrew word that meant "the glory is gone". She meant that the ark of God was gone! In verse 63, "ate" means "killed them by burning them to death".
God Makes Judah Leader Instead Of Ephraim
Psalm 78: 65 - 72
v65 Then the Lord woke up as from sleep. He was like a strong man shouting after (drinking) wine.
v66 He beat his enemies so that they went away. He did this so that they would always be ashamed.
v67 Also, he decided not to let the people of Joseph (continue as leaders). And he no longer chose the tribe of Ephraim.
v68 But he chose the tribe of Judah. Mount Zion (was there), which he loved.
v69 (There) he built a temple to live in like his home in heaven. He made it so that it would always be there, like the earth.
v70 Also, he chose David his servant and he took him away from the sheep farm.
v71 (He took him) from feeding sheep and brought him to be shepherd of his people Jacob, those in Israel that were his.
v72 And so David, with his honest heart, was their shepherd. He knew how to lead them.
Comments
What verses 65 - 72 mean
Now there is a big change. God leads his people so that they beat their enemy, the Philistines. He did three other things:
• He made Judah the leader of the tribes, not Ephraim, verses 67-68. Until then, Ephraim was leader, but not a good leader, verse 9.
• He made his home on earth in Mount Zion in Jerusalem, verses 68-69.
• He chose David to be king, verses 70-72. David led his people like a shepherd leads his sheep.
Jacob had 12 sons. Each had a large family or tribe. As the tribe of Levi worked in Jerusalem, that left 11 tribes. Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. They both took the place of Joseph, so there were still 12 tribes!
Something to do
1. Read the story of the plagues in Egypt, if you have a Bible. You can find where they are after verse 55 of Psalm 78.
2. Make sure that you tell your children the story of Jesus and his love for them.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tell Your Children
Psalm 78 - Part 3
The Israelites In The Holy Land
Psalm 78: 56 - 64
v56 But (the Israelites tested God Most High and fought against him. Also, they did not obey his laws.
v57 They turned away and did not keep the covenant, like their fathers. They were like a bow that would not shoot straight!
v58 They made him angry with their high places and their idols made him jealous.
v59 When God heard this, he was angry and he stopped giving them help completely.
v60 He left his house (the tent) at Shiloh, the place where he had lived on earth.
v61 He gave his power and his glory to the enemy for them to keep.
v62 He let the sword kill his people, he was so angry with them.
v63 The fire (of war) ate their young men and the young girls did not hear music (when they married).
v64 The sword killed their priests and their wives could not cry for them.
Comments
What verses 56 - 64 mean
In verses 9-31, we read about God’s people Israel (the Israelites) in the desert. They were coming from Egypt to the holy land. In verses 40-55, we read about the plagues that God used to get them out of Egypt. Now in verses 56-64, we read about Israel (the people) in Israel (the land). They turned away from God and did not obey him. They were like "a bow that did not shoot straight", verse 57. A bow like this is not good. So, the people of Israel were not good. Instead of loving and worshipping God in his house in Shiloh, they loved idols instead. They put these idols on high hills, where they worshipped them, verse 58. Shiloh was a place about 30 kilometers north of Jerusalem. They kept the ark there. The ark was a box. They kept the covenant-rules in it. But God was so angry because of their idol worship that he:
• went away from the house that they had made him at Shiloh
• did not give them any more help
• gave the ark (his power and glory) to their enemy, the Philistines
• let the enemy kill many of the people of Israel
The story about this is in I Samuel 4 and 5. The wife of a priest had a baby when the Philistines took the ark of God. She called the baby Ichabod. This is a Hebrew word that meant "the glory is gone". She meant that the ark of God was gone! In verse 63, "ate" means "killed them by burning them to death".
God Makes Judah Leader Instead Of Ephraim
Psalm 78: 65 - 72
v65 Then the Lord woke up as from sleep. He was like a strong man shouting after (drinking) wine.
v66 He beat his enemies so that they went away. He did this so that they would always be ashamed.
v67 Also, he decided not to let the people of Joseph (continue as leaders). And he no longer chose the tribe of Ephraim.
v68 But he chose the tribe of Judah. Mount Zion (was there), which he loved.
v69 (There) he built a temple to live in like his home in heaven. He made it so that it would always be there, like the earth.
v70 Also, he chose David his servant and he took him away from the sheep farm.
v71 (He took him) from feeding sheep and brought him to be shepherd of his people Jacob, those in Israel that were his.
v72 And so David, with his honest heart, was their shepherd. He knew how to lead them.
Comments
What verses 65 - 72 mean
Now there is a big change. God leads his people so that they beat their enemy, the Philistines. He did three other things:
• He made Judah the leader of the tribes, not Ephraim, verses 67-68. Until then, Ephraim was leader, but not a good leader, verse 9.
• He made his home on earth in Mount Zion in Jerusalem, verses 68-69.
• He chose David to be king, verses 70-72. David led his people like a shepherd leads his sheep.
Jacob had 12 sons. Each had a large family or tribe. As the tribe of Levi worked in Jerusalem, that left 11 tribes. Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. They both took the place of Joseph, so there were still 12 tribes!
Something to do
1. Read the story of the plagues in Egypt, if you have a Bible. You can find where they are after verse 55 of Psalm 78.
2. Make sure that you tell your children the story of Jesus and his love for them.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Friday, May 26, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 78 Part 2
Go and teach all nations
Tell Your Children
Psalm 78 - Part 2
The People Are Not Really Sorry
Psalm 78: 32 - 39
v32 Even when this happened, they still sinned. They did not believe that God had done these miracles.
v33 So he made their days seem to blow away like the wind. He made their years go away fast (so that they were) afraid!
v34 When he killed (some of) them, (the other people) looked to God. They were sorry and really prayed to him.
v35 And they remembered that God was their Rock. Also, (they remembered) that God Most High was their Redeemer.
v36 But what they said was not true and they did not mean what they said with their mouths to praise him.
v37 They were not honest with him. They did not obey his covenant in their heart.
v38 But he was merciful (to them). He forgave their sin and did not destroy them. Many times he was not angry (with them) and did not become furious (with them).
v39 But he remembered that they were only human, like a wind that blows away and does not return.
Comments
What verses 32 - 39 mean
In verses 22 and 32we read that they did not "believe that God could do" or that God "had done" these miracles. They did not think that their God was powerful enough! Some Bible students think that these verses mean that they did not believe that there was a God! They certainly did not obey him, or keep his covenant.
Verse 33 is a nice way of saying what verse 34 says in a clear way. "Days ... to blow away like the wind" and "years to go fast" both mean that life is short. Because God killed them (we do not know how), their lives were shorter than they thought that they would be! This made the people that God did not kill say that they were sorry. They remembered that God was their Rock and their Redeemer (verse 35).
• Rock was a name for God. It meant that they could build their lives on him (or, maybe, that he is like the Rock that gave them water in the desert).
• Redeemer was another name for God. It meant that he gave them help and saved them from their enemies.
Verses 36 – 37: These verses tell us about the people. They did not mean what they said and they did not keep the covenant. But God was kind (merciful) to them, verses 38 and 39. Because they were human, he did not destroy them. Instead, he forgave them. What does the word "forgive" really mean?
Some people think that "forgive" means "excuse and forget". But here it means more than this. We can only really understand it after Jesus came to the earth. Jesus died to "forgive" sin. This means that God "gave" our sin to Jesus, and Jesus took it away. God gave it for us ... so we say that God forgave us! Paul tells us in Romans 3:25 that the death of Jesus gave "forgiveness for sins that are past". This means that God forgave all the sins of people in the Old Testament because Jesus died. This includes the people in Psalm 78:38-39. But they ... like us ... had to thank God for it!
The People Do Not Remember What God Did In Egypt
Psalm 78: 40 - 55
v40 The people (of Israel) often fought against God in the desert. They made him very sad in the wilderness.
v41 Many times they tested God and this made the Holy One of Israel very unhappy.
v42 - v43 They chose not to remember what he did when:
• he saved them from the enemy
• he showed his miracles in Egypt
• he did wonders in that part (of Egypt called) Zoan
v44 (Here is some of what God did to the Egyptians): He turned their rivers into blood, so they could not drink from their streams.
v45 He sent very large numbers of flies that made a lot of trouble for them. And (he sent) frogs that made even more trouble!
v46 He gave the plants that they grew to grasshoppers and their food to locusts.
v47 He killed their vines with hail and their fig-trees with frost.
v48 He killed their cows with hail and their sheep with fire from the sky.
v49 He was so angry that he burned like a fire against them. He sent a group of angels to destroy them (called) anger, fury and distress.
v50 He made a path for his anger. He did not save them from death. He gave their lives to the plague.
v51 He killed all the first born (sons) in Egypt, the oldest boys of the men of Ham.
v52 (This is what God did for his people): But he took his people (from Egypt) like a flock. And he led them like sheep through the desert.
v53 They were safe with him as a guide and they were not afraid. But the sea drowned their enemies.
v54 So he brought them to the edge of his holy (land), to this hill-country, which his right hand took.
v55 He sent away the people that were living there. He said which parts (of the land) each group (of his people) could have. He put the families of Israel in their homes.
Comments
What verses 40 - 55 mean
These verses look back to when Israel was in Egypt. God did two things there:
• He sent 10 plagues to make the King of Egypt (Pharaoh) let God’s people go free
• He led his people through the Red Sea and the desert to the land he had promised them
In verses 44 - 51 are 6 of the 10 plagues. A plague is when something bad happens to a group of people. Here is where you can find them in the Bible. The other 4 are also in the list.
Plague 1, Verse 44 - water to blood - Exodus 7:17-21; Psalm 105:29
Plague 2, Verse 45 - frogs - Exodus 8:1-7; Psalm 105:30
Plague 3, - lice (insects) - Exodus 8:16-19; Psalm 105:31
Plague 4, Verse 45 - Flies - Exodus 8:20-24; Psalm 105:31
Plague 5, cows died - Exodus 9:1-7
Plague 6, boils - Exodus 9:8-12
Plague 7, Verse 47 - hail and storm - Exodus 9:18-26; Psalm 105:32
Plague 8, Verse 46 - locusts - Exodus 10:1-20; Psalm 105:34
Plague 9, darkness - Exodus 10:21-29; Psalm 105:28
Plague 10, Verse 51 - death of first sons - Exodus 11 and 12; Psalm 105:36
Pharaoh would not let God’s people go. God sent these 10 plagues to make Pharaoh let God’s people go, verses 43-51. Then God took them to the holy land, a Bible name for the country of Israel, verses 52-55. But verse 42 tells us that "they chose not to remember what he did". This made God very sad, verse 40, and unhappy, verse 41.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tell Your Children
Psalm 78 - Part 2
The People Are Not Really Sorry
Psalm 78: 32 - 39
v32 Even when this happened, they still sinned. They did not believe that God had done these miracles.
v33 So he made their days seem to blow away like the wind. He made their years go away fast (so that they were) afraid!
v34 When he killed (some of) them, (the other people) looked to God. They were sorry and really prayed to him.
v35 And they remembered that God was their Rock. Also, (they remembered) that God Most High was their Redeemer.
v36 But what they said was not true and they did not mean what they said with their mouths to praise him.
v37 They were not honest with him. They did not obey his covenant in their heart.
v38 But he was merciful (to them). He forgave their sin and did not destroy them. Many times he was not angry (with them) and did not become furious (with them).
v39 But he remembered that they were only human, like a wind that blows away and does not return.
Comments
What verses 32 - 39 mean
In verses 22 and 32we read that they did not "believe that God could do" or that God "had done" these miracles. They did not think that their God was powerful enough! Some Bible students think that these verses mean that they did not believe that there was a God! They certainly did not obey him, or keep his covenant.
Verse 33 is a nice way of saying what verse 34 says in a clear way. "Days ... to blow away like the wind" and "years to go fast" both mean that life is short. Because God killed them (we do not know how), their lives were shorter than they thought that they would be! This made the people that God did not kill say that they were sorry. They remembered that God was their Rock and their Redeemer (verse 35).
• Rock was a name for God. It meant that they could build their lives on him (or, maybe, that he is like the Rock that gave them water in the desert).
• Redeemer was another name for God. It meant that he gave them help and saved them from their enemies.
Verses 36 – 37: These verses tell us about the people. They did not mean what they said and they did not keep the covenant. But God was kind (merciful) to them, verses 38 and 39. Because they were human, he did not destroy them. Instead, he forgave them. What does the word "forgive" really mean?
Some people think that "forgive" means "excuse and forget". But here it means more than this. We can only really understand it after Jesus came to the earth. Jesus died to "forgive" sin. This means that God "gave" our sin to Jesus, and Jesus took it away. God gave it for us ... so we say that God forgave us! Paul tells us in Romans 3:25 that the death of Jesus gave "forgiveness for sins that are past". This means that God forgave all the sins of people in the Old Testament because Jesus died. This includes the people in Psalm 78:38-39. But they ... like us ... had to thank God for it!
The People Do Not Remember What God Did In Egypt
Psalm 78: 40 - 55
v40 The people (of Israel) often fought against God in the desert. They made him very sad in the wilderness.
v41 Many times they tested God and this made the Holy One of Israel very unhappy.
v42 - v43 They chose not to remember what he did when:
• he saved them from the enemy
• he showed his miracles in Egypt
• he did wonders in that part (of Egypt called) Zoan
v44 (Here is some of what God did to the Egyptians): He turned their rivers into blood, so they could not drink from their streams.
v45 He sent very large numbers of flies that made a lot of trouble for them. And (he sent) frogs that made even more trouble!
v46 He gave the plants that they grew to grasshoppers and their food to locusts.
v47 He killed their vines with hail and their fig-trees with frost.
v48 He killed their cows with hail and their sheep with fire from the sky.
v49 He was so angry that he burned like a fire against them. He sent a group of angels to destroy them (called) anger, fury and distress.
v50 He made a path for his anger. He did not save them from death. He gave their lives to the plague.
v51 He killed all the first born (sons) in Egypt, the oldest boys of the men of Ham.
v52 (This is what God did for his people): But he took his people (from Egypt) like a flock. And he led them like sheep through the desert.
v53 They were safe with him as a guide and they were not afraid. But the sea drowned their enemies.
v54 So he brought them to the edge of his holy (land), to this hill-country, which his right hand took.
v55 He sent away the people that were living there. He said which parts (of the land) each group (of his people) could have. He put the families of Israel in their homes.
Comments
What verses 40 - 55 mean
These verses look back to when Israel was in Egypt. God did two things there:
• He sent 10 plagues to make the King of Egypt (Pharaoh) let God’s people go free
• He led his people through the Red Sea and the desert to the land he had promised them
In verses 44 - 51 are 6 of the 10 plagues. A plague is when something bad happens to a group of people. Here is where you can find them in the Bible. The other 4 are also in the list.
Plague 1, Verse 44 - water to blood - Exodus 7:17-21; Psalm 105:29
Plague 2, Verse 45 - frogs - Exodus 8:1-7; Psalm 105:30
Plague 3, - lice (insects) - Exodus 8:16-19; Psalm 105:31
Plague 4, Verse 45 - Flies - Exodus 8:20-24; Psalm 105:31
Plague 5, cows died - Exodus 9:1-7
Plague 6, boils - Exodus 9:8-12
Plague 7, Verse 47 - hail and storm - Exodus 9:18-26; Psalm 105:32
Plague 8, Verse 46 - locusts - Exodus 10:1-20; Psalm 105:34
Plague 9, darkness - Exodus 10:21-29; Psalm 105:28
Plague 10, Verse 51 - death of first sons - Exodus 11 and 12; Psalm 105:36
Pharaoh would not let God’s people go. God sent these 10 plagues to make Pharaoh let God’s people go, verses 43-51. Then God took them to the holy land, a Bible name for the country of Israel, verses 52-55. But verse 42 tells us that "they chose not to remember what he did". This made God very sad, verse 40, and unhappy, verse 41.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 78 Part 1
Go and teach all nations
Tell Your Children
Psalm 78
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me. Do not stop them". (Matthew 19:14)
Part 1 – Psalm 78:1-31
Psalm 78: 1 - 8
(This is one) of Asaph’s Psalms that Teach Us (about God).
v1 My people, hear what I am teaching you. Listen to the words that I am saying to you.
v2 I will tell you a story. I will talk about things hard to understand from past times.
v3 We have heard them and know them because our fathers told them to us.
v4 We will not hide them from their children. We will tell future children that they should praise the LORD. (He is) very strong and he has done great things.
v5 He decided what things Jacob must do and made the laws in Israel. He told our grandfathers that they must teach them to their children.
v6 Then those children would know them, even the children still to be born. When the time came, they too would tell their children.
v7 Then they (the children) would:
• believe that God would give them help
• not forget what God had done
• obey his laws
v8 So they would not be like their grandfathers who:
• would not listen to God
• would not obey him
• did not make God their leader
• did not continue to follow him
Comments
The Story of Psalm 78
We do not know who wrote the psalm. Maybe it was Isaiah after the fall of Ephraim, 720 years before Jesus was born. Ephraim was the name of the largest group of families in Israel.
The whole psalm is a story, the story (history) of God’s people until the time of King David. It tells us that God was good to his people, but they were not good to him. They did not obey him. That is the problem in verse 2. We could translate it as "question" or "secret" or "puzzle". It is something that we want an answer to. It is still true today. We still ask, "Why do people not obey God, when he is so good to them?" Read the psalm and find the answer!
After the first 8 verses, above, verses 9 - 72 are in 6 parts. Each part tells a bit of the story.
God Saved Israel from Egypt and Gave them Water in the Desert
Psalm 78: 9 - 17
v9 The people of Ephraim had bows and arrows for war. But they ran away when the war started!
v10 They did not keep the covenant of God. They refused to obey his laws.
v11 And they forgot what he had done and the wonderful things that he had shown them.
v12 He did miracles in front of their fathers. (He did them) in the country of Egypt, in the part (they called) Zoan.
v13 He made a road in the sea and led them through it. He built the waters into a wall (on both sides).
v14 He showed them the way with a cloud in the day and with light from a fire all night.
v15 He broke rocks in the desert and gave (his people) water from deep (in the earth).
v16 He made streams to come from the rocks so that the waters ran like rivers.
v17 But they continued to sin against him. They fought against the Most High in the desert.
Comments
What verses 9 - 17 mean
The questions, or problems, from past times (verses 2, 8-9) continue here. God did great things (or wonderful things or miracles) for his people, but they did not obey him. Why?
Because, like us, they wanted to do what they liked, not what God wanted! They did not keep the covenant of God, verse 10. A covenant is when two groups of people agree what to do. Here one group is God, the other is his people. God agreed to give them help, and they agreed to obey his laws, or rules, verse 7. In this psalm "laws" maybe means only the rules in the first 5 books of the Bible.
In verse 9, we have a picture of this. Ephraim (a big group of people in Israel) had everything they needed to fight a war ... but they ran away! God gave his people everything that they needed ... but they did not obey his laws. In this part of the psalm we read about three miracles that God did for his people:
• Verses 12 - 13 He led them from Egypt to a country that would be theirs. To do this he made a road through the sea. The water was like a wall on both sides of them. This was a miracle because only God can make a road through a sea. God did this, but his people still did not obey his laws or keep the covenant.
• Verse 14 He showed them the way through the desert. He did this with a special cloud in the day and the light of a fire in the sky at night. Again, they did not keep the covenant!
• Verses 15 - 16 It was dry in the desert, and they had nothing to drink. They thought that they would die, but God gave them water. But even then "they continued to sin against him and fought against the Most High", verse 17. We "sin" when we do not obey God.
So there are examples of the problem from history. It is a problem that we still have.
God Gave His People Food in the Desert, But They Still Did Not Obey Him
Psalm 78: 18 - 31
v18 They made a plan to test God. They demanded the food that they liked best!
v19 And they spoke against God. They said, "Can God do it? Can he prepare a table in the desert?
v20 It is true that when he hit a rock, water came out, streams of water were everywhere. But can he also give bread? Can he supply meat for his people?’
v21 When the LORD heard (this) he was very angry. So he sent fire against Jacob and also his fury against Israel.
v22 (He did this) because they did not believe that God (could do it), or that he had the power to save them.
v23 So he gave an order to the clouds over (them) and opened the doors in the skies.
v24 He rained manna down on them, for them to eat. He gave them bread from heaven.
v25 People ate the (same) bread that angels ate. (God) sent them plenty of food.
v26 Then (God) sent an east wind blowing through the skies. And he was so strong that he also sent a south wind.
v27 And he rained meat down on them like powder. (He rained) flying birds on them like sand by the sea.
v28 He made them fall where (his people) were living, all round their tents.
v29 And they ate as much as they needed. God gave them what they wanted.
v30 But before they ate all that they wanted (while the food was still in their mouths),
v31 God became very angry with them. He killed the strongest of them and sent the young men of Israel to their deaths.
Comments
What verses 18 - 31 mean
The people saw that God gave them water in the desert. But they needed food as well. They decided to give God a test, or an exam. "Can he prepare a table?", verse 19, means "can he put food on our table?". They did not think that he could! It does not mean that they did not believe that there was a God. They did not believe that he would give them help. In other words, they did not trust him.
This made God very angry, verse 22. He was so angry (or furious) that he was like a fire! Before he killed many of their best men, verse 31, he showed them what he could do. He sent manna, verse 24, and meat, verse 27.
We think that manna was like bread. The word "manna" really means "What is this?" Another word for it in verse 25 is ‘bread’. That is why we think that manna was like bread. The psalm gives us a picture. Manna was what the angels ate. Angels live with God in heaven. So the psalm shows us God opening a door in heaven (the sky) and raining manna down on the Israelites! It is only a picture. We do not know how God really did this miracle.
And he sent them meat. He made a strong wind that blew birds to them, verse 27. There were so many birds that they were like bits of sand by the sea! They could eat these birds. We think that they were birds that we call "quails". But while they ate the manna and quails, God killed many of them. We do not know how.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tell Your Children
Psalm 78
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me. Do not stop them". (Matthew 19:14)
Part 1 – Psalm 78:1-31
Psalm 78: 1 - 8
(This is one) of Asaph’s Psalms that Teach Us (about God).
v1 My people, hear what I am teaching you. Listen to the words that I am saying to you.
v2 I will tell you a story. I will talk about things hard to understand from past times.
v3 We have heard them and know them because our fathers told them to us.
v4 We will not hide them from their children. We will tell future children that they should praise the LORD. (He is) very strong and he has done great things.
v5 He decided what things Jacob must do and made the laws in Israel. He told our grandfathers that they must teach them to their children.
v6 Then those children would know them, even the children still to be born. When the time came, they too would tell their children.
v7 Then they (the children) would:
• believe that God would give them help
• not forget what God had done
• obey his laws
v8 So they would not be like their grandfathers who:
• would not listen to God
• would not obey him
• did not make God their leader
• did not continue to follow him
Comments
The Story of Psalm 78
We do not know who wrote the psalm. Maybe it was Isaiah after the fall of Ephraim, 720 years before Jesus was born. Ephraim was the name of the largest group of families in Israel.
The whole psalm is a story, the story (history) of God’s people until the time of King David. It tells us that God was good to his people, but they were not good to him. They did not obey him. That is the problem in verse 2. We could translate it as "question" or "secret" or "puzzle". It is something that we want an answer to. It is still true today. We still ask, "Why do people not obey God, when he is so good to them?" Read the psalm and find the answer!
After the first 8 verses, above, verses 9 - 72 are in 6 parts. Each part tells a bit of the story.
God Saved Israel from Egypt and Gave them Water in the Desert
Psalm 78: 9 - 17
v9 The people of Ephraim had bows and arrows for war. But they ran away when the war started!
v10 They did not keep the covenant of God. They refused to obey his laws.
v11 And they forgot what he had done and the wonderful things that he had shown them.
v12 He did miracles in front of their fathers. (He did them) in the country of Egypt, in the part (they called) Zoan.
v13 He made a road in the sea and led them through it. He built the waters into a wall (on both sides).
v14 He showed them the way with a cloud in the day and with light from a fire all night.
v15 He broke rocks in the desert and gave (his people) water from deep (in the earth).
v16 He made streams to come from the rocks so that the waters ran like rivers.
v17 But they continued to sin against him. They fought against the Most High in the desert.
Comments
What verses 9 - 17 mean
The questions, or problems, from past times (verses 2, 8-9) continue here. God did great things (or wonderful things or miracles) for his people, but they did not obey him. Why?
Because, like us, they wanted to do what they liked, not what God wanted! They did not keep the covenant of God, verse 10. A covenant is when two groups of people agree what to do. Here one group is God, the other is his people. God agreed to give them help, and they agreed to obey his laws, or rules, verse 7. In this psalm "laws" maybe means only the rules in the first 5 books of the Bible.
In verse 9, we have a picture of this. Ephraim (a big group of people in Israel) had everything they needed to fight a war ... but they ran away! God gave his people everything that they needed ... but they did not obey his laws. In this part of the psalm we read about three miracles that God did for his people:
• Verses 12 - 13 He led them from Egypt to a country that would be theirs. To do this he made a road through the sea. The water was like a wall on both sides of them. This was a miracle because only God can make a road through a sea. God did this, but his people still did not obey his laws or keep the covenant.
• Verse 14 He showed them the way through the desert. He did this with a special cloud in the day and the light of a fire in the sky at night. Again, they did not keep the covenant!
• Verses 15 - 16 It was dry in the desert, and they had nothing to drink. They thought that they would die, but God gave them water. But even then "they continued to sin against him and fought against the Most High", verse 17. We "sin" when we do not obey God.
So there are examples of the problem from history. It is a problem that we still have.
God Gave His People Food in the Desert, But They Still Did Not Obey Him
Psalm 78: 18 - 31
v18 They made a plan to test God. They demanded the food that they liked best!
v19 And they spoke against God. They said, "Can God do it? Can he prepare a table in the desert?
v20 It is true that when he hit a rock, water came out, streams of water were everywhere. But can he also give bread? Can he supply meat for his people?’
v21 When the LORD heard (this) he was very angry. So he sent fire against Jacob and also his fury against Israel.
v22 (He did this) because they did not believe that God (could do it), or that he had the power to save them.
v23 So he gave an order to the clouds over (them) and opened the doors in the skies.
v24 He rained manna down on them, for them to eat. He gave them bread from heaven.
v25 People ate the (same) bread that angels ate. (God) sent them plenty of food.
v26 Then (God) sent an east wind blowing through the skies. And he was so strong that he also sent a south wind.
v27 And he rained meat down on them like powder. (He rained) flying birds on them like sand by the sea.
v28 He made them fall where (his people) were living, all round their tents.
v29 And they ate as much as they needed. God gave them what they wanted.
v30 But before they ate all that they wanted (while the food was still in their mouths),
v31 God became very angry with them. He killed the strongest of them and sent the young men of Israel to their deaths.
Comments
What verses 18 - 31 mean
The people saw that God gave them water in the desert. But they needed food as well. They decided to give God a test, or an exam. "Can he prepare a table?", verse 19, means "can he put food on our table?". They did not think that he could! It does not mean that they did not believe that there was a God. They did not believe that he would give them help. In other words, they did not trust him.
This made God very angry, verse 22. He was so angry (or furious) that he was like a fire! Before he killed many of their best men, verse 31, he showed them what he could do. He sent manna, verse 24, and meat, verse 27.
We think that manna was like bread. The word "manna" really means "What is this?" Another word for it in verse 25 is ‘bread’. That is why we think that manna was like bread. The psalm gives us a picture. Manna was what the angels ate. Angels live with God in heaven. So the psalm shows us God opening a door in heaven (the sky) and raining manna down on the Israelites! It is only a picture. We do not know how God really did this miracle.
And he sent them meat. He made a strong wind that blew birds to them, verse 27. There were so many birds that they were like bits of sand by the sea! They could eat these birds. We think that they were birds that we call "quails". But while they ate the manna and quails, God killed many of them. We do not know how.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 77
Go and teach all nations
Questions and Answers
Psalm 77
John sent people to ask Jesus, "Are you the One that will come, or must we look for someone else?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things that you hear and see. Blind people can see again, people with bad legs can walk again, people that are ill become better, the deaf hear and the dead come back to life". (Matthew 11: 3 - 5)
Psalm 77
(This is) for the music leader. (His name is) Jeduthun. (It is a) psalm of Asaph.
v1 I cried aloud to God. I cried to God so that he could hear me.
v2 When trouble came, I looked for the Lord. All through the night, I lifted my hands (to him while I prayed). But I did not get help.
v3 I remembered God and I cried. I thought (about my trouble) and my spirit became weak SELAH
v4 (God), you do not let me close my eyes. I have so much trouble that I do not know what to say.
v5 I think about days that have gone and the years that have passed.
v6 At night I remember the songs (that I sang). I ask myself questions and my spirit looks for answers.
v7 • "Will the Lord always say 'No' to us?"
• "Will he never again be good to us?"
v8 • "Will he for ever stop giving us his kind love?"
• "Will he not do what he promised for us and our children?"
v9 • "Has God forgotten to be gracious to us?"
• "Is he so angry with us that he will not love us?" SELAH
v10 Then I said, "I will think about the times when the Most High did give us help.
v11 I will remember the things that the LORD has done. Yes, I will remember the miracles that you did in past times.
v12 I will think about all that you have done. I will think about all the great things that you have done".
v13 Your way, God, is holy. What god is as great as our God?
v14 You are the God that does miracles. You show people that you are very powerful.
v15 You saved your people with your strong arm. You saved the people of Jacob and Joseph. SELAH
v16 The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and rolled over and over. The deepest seas moved round a lot.
v17 The clouds poured down water. The noise of thunder was in the skies. Your arrows were everywhere.
v18 The voice of your thunder was in the storm. Your lightning lit all the
world. The earth moved about and shook.
v19 Your road went through the sea. Your path was through the great waters, but nobody saw where your feet went.
v20 You led your people in a group with Moses and Aaron at the front.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 77
We do not know who wrote Psalm 77. Something bad had happened to him or to his people, the Jews. God let the bad thing happen, and did not give help. Did this mean that God had forgotten his people? No! The end of the psalm tells us that God gave help in the past. He can send help again to the psalmist, if the psalmist waits. The psalmist may have read the Book of Habakkuk before he wrote Psalm 77. This tells a story like that in Psalm 77. The Jews could not understand why God did not give them help. The prophet Habakkuk wrote that they must have faith. This means they must believe that one day God will send help.
What Psalm 77 means
Study the psalm in 4 parts:
• Verses 1 – 3: The psalmist thinks about the bad things that happened to him or his people.
• Verses 4 – 9: He asks God if God will ever send help again.
• Verses 10 – 15: The psalmist remembers what God did a long time ago.
• Verses 16 – 20: The psalmist remembers when God led his people through the Red Sea when they left Egypt.
Verse 2: The Jews lifted their hands to God when they prayed. The words in brackets ... ( ) ... are not in the Hebrew psalm.
Verse 3: Again, the words in brackets are not in the Hebrew psalm. We do not know what the trouble was.
Verse 4: This means that the psalmist cannot sleep and does not know what to pray.
Verses 7 – 9: Here are 6 questions which the psalmist asked. They mean "Will God ever help us again?" Often, we ask these questions. Did the psalmist get an answer to them?
Verses 10 – 15:
• The psalmist answers his own questions. First, he remembers the things that God has done, verses 10-12. He remembers that God is a GOD OF MIRACLES. This means that God does things that nobody else can do, as when he led his people through the Red Sea.
• Then he remembers who God is and what he can still do. God is holy, God is great, God is very powerful. God saves people. GOD DOES MIRACLES, verses 13-14. In verse 15 "with your arm" means "what you have done on earth". All through the Old Testament, "the arm of God" is a picture of God doing something on earth, not in heaven.
Verses 16 – 20: are about God leading his people from Egypt to their new home. They had to go through the Red Sea. God was so powerful; he pushed the water of the sea back. He made a dry road through the sea for his people.
In verses 10 - 20, we read about what God did, and can do. The psalmist does not ask God to do these things again, but we think that he said them as a prayer. It was a prayer for God to be himself, and to do something again for his people.
Something to do
• If you have a Bible, read the Book of Habakkuk.
• When you have trouble, read this psalm. Put verses 1-3 into the present tense, as "I am crying aloud to God".
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Questions and Answers
Psalm 77
John sent people to ask Jesus, "Are you the One that will come, or must we look for someone else?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things that you hear and see. Blind people can see again, people with bad legs can walk again, people that are ill become better, the deaf hear and the dead come back to life". (Matthew 11: 3 - 5)
Psalm 77
(This is) for the music leader. (His name is) Jeduthun. (It is a) psalm of Asaph.
v1 I cried aloud to God. I cried to God so that he could hear me.
v2 When trouble came, I looked for the Lord. All through the night, I lifted my hands (to him while I prayed). But I did not get help.
v3 I remembered God and I cried. I thought (about my trouble) and my spirit became weak SELAH
v4 (God), you do not let me close my eyes. I have so much trouble that I do not know what to say.
v5 I think about days that have gone and the years that have passed.
v6 At night I remember the songs (that I sang). I ask myself questions and my spirit looks for answers.
v7 • "Will the Lord always say 'No' to us?"
• "Will he never again be good to us?"
v8 • "Will he for ever stop giving us his kind love?"
• "Will he not do what he promised for us and our children?"
v9 • "Has God forgotten to be gracious to us?"
• "Is he so angry with us that he will not love us?" SELAH
v10 Then I said, "I will think about the times when the Most High did give us help.
v11 I will remember the things that the LORD has done. Yes, I will remember the miracles that you did in past times.
v12 I will think about all that you have done. I will think about all the great things that you have done".
v13 Your way, God, is holy. What god is as great as our God?
v14 You are the God that does miracles. You show people that you are very powerful.
v15 You saved your people with your strong arm. You saved the people of Jacob and Joseph. SELAH
v16 The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and rolled over and over. The deepest seas moved round a lot.
v17 The clouds poured down water. The noise of thunder was in the skies. Your arrows were everywhere.
v18 The voice of your thunder was in the storm. Your lightning lit all the
world. The earth moved about and shook.
v19 Your road went through the sea. Your path was through the great waters, but nobody saw where your feet went.
v20 You led your people in a group with Moses and Aaron at the front.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 77
We do not know who wrote Psalm 77. Something bad had happened to him or to his people, the Jews. God let the bad thing happen, and did not give help. Did this mean that God had forgotten his people? No! The end of the psalm tells us that God gave help in the past. He can send help again to the psalmist, if the psalmist waits. The psalmist may have read the Book of Habakkuk before he wrote Psalm 77. This tells a story like that in Psalm 77. The Jews could not understand why God did not give them help. The prophet Habakkuk wrote that they must have faith. This means they must believe that one day God will send help.
What Psalm 77 means
Study the psalm in 4 parts:
• Verses 1 – 3: The psalmist thinks about the bad things that happened to him or his people.
• Verses 4 – 9: He asks God if God will ever send help again.
• Verses 10 – 15: The psalmist remembers what God did a long time ago.
• Verses 16 – 20: The psalmist remembers when God led his people through the Red Sea when they left Egypt.
Verse 2: The Jews lifted their hands to God when they prayed. The words in brackets ... ( ) ... are not in the Hebrew psalm.
Verse 3: Again, the words in brackets are not in the Hebrew psalm. We do not know what the trouble was.
Verse 4: This means that the psalmist cannot sleep and does not know what to pray.
Verses 7 – 9: Here are 6 questions which the psalmist asked. They mean "Will God ever help us again?" Often, we ask these questions. Did the psalmist get an answer to them?
Verses 10 – 15:
• The psalmist answers his own questions. First, he remembers the things that God has done, verses 10-12. He remembers that God is a GOD OF MIRACLES. This means that God does things that nobody else can do, as when he led his people through the Red Sea.
• Then he remembers who God is and what he can still do. God is holy, God is great, God is very powerful. God saves people. GOD DOES MIRACLES, verses 13-14. In verse 15 "with your arm" means "what you have done on earth". All through the Old Testament, "the arm of God" is a picture of God doing something on earth, not in heaven.
Verses 16 – 20: are about God leading his people from Egypt to their new home. They had to go through the Red Sea. God was so powerful; he pushed the water of the sea back. He made a dry road through the sea for his people.
In verses 10 - 20, we read about what God did, and can do. The psalmist does not ask God to do these things again, but we think that he said them as a prayer. It was a prayer for God to be himself, and to do something again for his people.
Something to do
• If you have a Bible, read the Book of Habakkuk.
• When you have trouble, read this psalm. Put verses 1-3 into the present tense, as "I am crying aloud to God".
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 76
Go and teach all nations
Sing a Song of Zion or The Lion’s Den
Psalm 76
They got up and took Jesus out of the city. They led him to the side of a hill, where men had built their city. They wanted to throw him down. But Jesus just walked away from them, and went on his own way. (Luke 4:29-30)
Psalm 76
(This is) for the music leader. (He must use) stringed instruments. (It is) a Psalm of Asaph (and) a Song.
v1 God is famous in Judah. His name is great in Israel.
v2 His house is in Salem and his home is in Zion.
v3 There he broke (the enemy’s):
• bow (shooting) fire
• shield
• and sword
• and war (weapons) SELAH
v4 You (God) are the Shining One! (You are) the King from the mountains,
where you robbed your enemy!
v5 (You) took from the brave (enemy) soldiers all (the weapons) that they had. Now they are sleeping and will never wake up. None of the soldiers can use their hands.
v6 When you were angry, God of Jacob, both the horses and the men that rode on them fell down dead.
v7 You ... everyone is afraid of you! Who can remain standing in front of you when you are angry?
v8 From the heavens you said that you would judge (the people). All the earth was afraid of you and became quiet.
v9 (This happened), God, when you came to judge and to save the oppressed people in the land. SELAH
v10 So the anger of men will praise you. What remains of their anger you will wear (as praise).
v11 Make a promise to the LORD your God and do (what you promise). Let everyone that lives near bring a gift to the God that people are afraid of.
v12 He breaks the spirit of rulers. All the kings of the world are afraid of him.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 76
Sennacherib was the King of Assyria. Assyria was a very strong country to the north and east of Judah. About 700 years before Jesus came to the earth, Sennacherib attacked Judah. But God fought for Judah. Sennacherib did not win the war. Many of his soldiers died. The story is in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37; and also in 2 Kings 18 and 19.
Psalm 76 (like 46, 47, 48 and 75) is about what happened in this war. It tells us that God did not let the enemy destroy Jerusalem. In the psalm, there are two other names for Jerusalem: Salem and Zion, verse 2. "Salem" means "peace" (or no fighting); Zion is the name of the hill where the Israelites built their temple. The temple was the place where they met to praise God.
The name "A Song of Zion" was one that the Israelites used for this psalm. We have also called it "The Lion’s Den". Why? Because the words "house" and "home" in verse 2 in Hebrew are the words for a lion’s home. We translate them as "den". Also, in verse 4, the words "you robbed your enemy" are "you caught your prey". "Prey" is a word we use for what an animal catches to eat. The lion is a big animal. It catches and eats many smaller animals. It will even eat people! So, the psalm makes God like a lion. His den (or home) is Jerusalem. He goes out to the mountains to catch his prey. But the prey are the soldiers of Sennacherib.
What Psalm 76 means
Verse 1: When King Solomon died, his country became two countries. One was Judah and the other was Israel. They had a king each. But Assyria destroyed Israel in 721 BC. BC means "years Before Christ came to the earth". So, when Sennacherib attacked Judah, there was no country of Israel. That means that in this psalm, Judah and Israel are both names for God’s people. They do not mean two different countries.
Verse 3: Breaking the enemy’s weapons (bow, shield and sword) is another way to say that God destroyed the enemy.
Verse 5: "sleeping" is a Bible way to describe death. Because the soldiers are dead, they cannot use their hands to fight.
Verse 9: We have said that "to judge" means "to say who is right and who is wrong". But it really means more than that in many places in the Bible. This is one of those places. God judged the Assyrians to be wrong: the result of this was that they died. God judged the poor people to be right: the result of this was that they became free. They were not oppressed any more. This means that the enemy did not hurt them, or take their food, money, animals and children.
Verse 10: Bible students do not really know what this verse means. This translation says what the Hebrew words say. Maybe it means that when people like Sennacherib are angry with people like the Israelites then people will praise what God does.
Verse 12: "Breaks the spirit" means "stops them wanting to fight".
Something to do
Poetry is a special way to use words. In the psalms, we find one special way that the psalmists used. The psalmists were the people that wrote the psalms. The special way that they used was this: they said the same thing twice using different words. How many verses can you find in Psalm 76 that use words like this?
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Sing a Song of Zion or The Lion’s Den
Psalm 76
They got up and took Jesus out of the city. They led him to the side of a hill, where men had built their city. They wanted to throw him down. But Jesus just walked away from them, and went on his own way. (Luke 4:29-30)
Psalm 76
(This is) for the music leader. (He must use) stringed instruments. (It is) a Psalm of Asaph (and) a Song.
v1 God is famous in Judah. His name is great in Israel.
v2 His house is in Salem and his home is in Zion.
v3 There he broke (the enemy’s):
• bow (shooting) fire
• shield
• and sword
• and war (weapons) SELAH
v4 You (God) are the Shining One! (You are) the King from the mountains,
where you robbed your enemy!
v5 (You) took from the brave (enemy) soldiers all (the weapons) that they had. Now they are sleeping and will never wake up. None of the soldiers can use their hands.
v6 When you were angry, God of Jacob, both the horses and the men that rode on them fell down dead.
v7 You ... everyone is afraid of you! Who can remain standing in front of you when you are angry?
v8 From the heavens you said that you would judge (the people). All the earth was afraid of you and became quiet.
v9 (This happened), God, when you came to judge and to save the oppressed people in the land. SELAH
v10 So the anger of men will praise you. What remains of their anger you will wear (as praise).
v11 Make a promise to the LORD your God and do (what you promise). Let everyone that lives near bring a gift to the God that people are afraid of.
v12 He breaks the spirit of rulers. All the kings of the world are afraid of him.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 76
Sennacherib was the King of Assyria. Assyria was a very strong country to the north and east of Judah. About 700 years before Jesus came to the earth, Sennacherib attacked Judah. But God fought for Judah. Sennacherib did not win the war. Many of his soldiers died. The story is in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37; and also in 2 Kings 18 and 19.
Psalm 76 (like 46, 47, 48 and 75) is about what happened in this war. It tells us that God did not let the enemy destroy Jerusalem. In the psalm, there are two other names for Jerusalem: Salem and Zion, verse 2. "Salem" means "peace" (or no fighting); Zion is the name of the hill where the Israelites built their temple. The temple was the place where they met to praise God.
The name "A Song of Zion" was one that the Israelites used for this psalm. We have also called it "The Lion’s Den". Why? Because the words "house" and "home" in verse 2 in Hebrew are the words for a lion’s home. We translate them as "den". Also, in verse 4, the words "you robbed your enemy" are "you caught your prey". "Prey" is a word we use for what an animal catches to eat. The lion is a big animal. It catches and eats many smaller animals. It will even eat people! So, the psalm makes God like a lion. His den (or home) is Jerusalem. He goes out to the mountains to catch his prey. But the prey are the soldiers of Sennacherib.
What Psalm 76 means
Verse 1: When King Solomon died, his country became two countries. One was Judah and the other was Israel. They had a king each. But Assyria destroyed Israel in 721 BC. BC means "years Before Christ came to the earth". So, when Sennacherib attacked Judah, there was no country of Israel. That means that in this psalm, Judah and Israel are both names for God’s people. They do not mean two different countries.
Verse 3: Breaking the enemy’s weapons (bow, shield and sword) is another way to say that God destroyed the enemy.
Verse 5: "sleeping" is a Bible way to describe death. Because the soldiers are dead, they cannot use their hands to fight.
Verse 9: We have said that "to judge" means "to say who is right and who is wrong". But it really means more than that in many places in the Bible. This is one of those places. God judged the Assyrians to be wrong: the result of this was that they died. God judged the poor people to be right: the result of this was that they became free. They were not oppressed any more. This means that the enemy did not hurt them, or take their food, money, animals and children.
Verse 10: Bible students do not really know what this verse means. This translation says what the Hebrew words say. Maybe it means that when people like Sennacherib are angry with people like the Israelites then people will praise what God does.
Verse 12: "Breaks the spirit" means "stops them wanting to fight".
Something to do
Poetry is a special way to use words. In the psalms, we find one special way that the psalmists used. The psalmists were the people that wrote the psalms. The special way that they used was this: they said the same thing twice using different words. How many verses can you find in Psalm 76 that use words like this?
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Monday, May 22, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 75
Go and teach all nations
Earthquakes, Horns And A Cup Of Wine!
Psalm 75
Jesus woke up and he was angry with the wind. He said to the sea, "Shut your mouth and stop making a noise!" And the wind stopped blowing and it was very quiet. (Mark 4:39)
Psalm 75
(This is) for the music leader. (He must use music called) "Do Not Destroy". (This is) a Psalm of Asaph (and) a Song.
v1 God, we thank you. We really thank you because you are still near to us. This is what the wonderful things that you have done tell us!
v2 (God said,) "At the time that I will choose, I will be a fair judge.
v3 When the earth shakes and everything in it (is afraid), I will stop its foundations moving. SELAH
v4 I say to the people that are boasting, "Do not boast". (I say) to the godless, "Do not lift up your horn.
v5 Do not lift your horn up high. (Do not) push your neck up high when you speak".
v6 For nobody
• from the east
• or from the west
• or from the desert (in the south)
• or from the mountains (in the north)
v7 will be judge. Only God (will be judge). He puts one person down and he lifts up another person.
v8 Because there is a cup in the LORD’s hand. It is full of wine, mixing with spice. (The LORD) will pour it out from this (cup). All the godless people in the world will drink it. They will drink the last bit of it.
v9 But I will always talk about (what God did). I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
v10 (Because he says) "I will cut off all the horns of the godless. But I will lift up the horns of the righteous".
Comments
The Story of Psalm 75
The psalm tells us that God has done something good for his people. Many Bible students think that the good thing was this. God saved them from the King of Assyria. His name was Sennacherib. Assyria was a country north and east of Judah. Sennacherib fought against many places near Judah and won. But when he fought against the capital city of Judah, he did not win. The capital city was Jerusalem. The temple was in Jerusalem. God kept the temple and his people that lived near it safe. You can read the story in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37. About 100 years later God did not keep the temple and his people safe. You can read about this in Psalm 74.
There are three pictures in Psalm 75. The psalmist tells us three things in these pictures. He does this because he thinks that we will remember pictures better than words! The pictures are of earthquakes, horns and a cup of wine. What do they mean? You can read the notes to find out what each picture is about. But all three of them say one thing: God is our judge, not men.
What Psalm 75 means
Verses 1 and 9: All the people thank God for what he has done. Because he has given them help, it tells them that God is with them. The Hebrew Bible says, "Your name is near to us". This is one way that the Israelites said "You are near to us". God was where his name was! In verse 9, only the psalmist speaks. He will always talk about what God has done. The "God of Jacob" means "God of the Israelites".
Verses 2, 6 and 7: Only God will be the judge, and he will be a fair judge. "At the time", in verse 2, means "when God decides to be judge". This may be in the lives of people, or at the end when they die. If the psalm is about Sennacherib, then it was while he was alive. Later, when he died, God judged him again. In verse 6, we could translate "the mountains" as "will lift up". They are the same word in Hebrew. Both are true. Nobody is a more important judge than God. It does not matter what direction they come from. And as verse 7 tells us, God "puts one person down and he lifts up another". This means that he says that one person is wrong ("puts down") and another person right ("lifts up").
Verse 3: Earthquakes. An earthquake is when the ground moves. Buildings and trees fall over. Big holes appear in the ground. People and animals become very frightened. When Sennacherib came, the people felt as if they were in an earthquake. They were very much afraid. It was not a real earthquake, but they were just as frightened. God is speaking in verses 2 - 5 (and also verse 10). God says in verse 3 "In an earthquake I can stop the ground moving". This is a picture that tells us this. In a war, God can stop the fighting. The word SELAH maybe means "stop and think and pray about it".
Verses 4, 5 and 10: Horns. Many animals have horns on their heads. Cows, goats and deer are examples. The horns are bones that they fight with. The horns make them strong and powerful. So, in this psalm, horns are just a picture. The godless people (like Sennacherib) did not have horns on their heads! "Do not lift up your horn" in verse 4 means "Do not show how strong you are". Maybe it also means "Do not fight". In verse 10 God says, "I will cut off the horns of the godless". This means that they will not be strong and powerful again. They will be like animals that have lost their horns. They cannot fight. But God’s people, the righteous, will be strong and powerful. But they must wait for "the time that God will choose", verse 1. "Push your neck up high" in verse 5 means "Think you are more important".
Verse 8: A cup of wine. Wine is a drink with alcohol in it. This wine has spices in it. They make it taste different. The wine is a picture of God punishing the godless. "Punish" means "hurt someone because they have done wrong things". Drinking the wine, then, means "punishing people". "Drink the last bit" means that God will punish these people completely. This verse is a picture of God judging his enemies.
Something to do
1. Read other psalms that are about Sennacherib. They are 46, 47, 48 and 76.
2. Think about the word that Jesus used to stop the wind blowing in Mark 4:39. It is a word that we use to tell our animals to be quiet. In England, we tell our dogs "Down boy!" when they jump on us! Jesus was showing the wind and sea that he was more powerful than they were. He owned them. He was telling them, "Down boy!" Now look at Psalm 46:10. Here God tells Sennacherib, "Down boy!" God was more powerful than Sennacherib.
3. Read Isaiah 36 and 37. The same story is in 2 Kings 18 and 19.
4. Learn to say Psalm 75:9 by heart. (This means without looking at the words.)
5. Read about Asaph at the end of Psalm 73 in this set of psalms.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Earthquakes, Horns And A Cup Of Wine!
Psalm 75
Jesus woke up and he was angry with the wind. He said to the sea, "Shut your mouth and stop making a noise!" And the wind stopped blowing and it was very quiet. (Mark 4:39)
Psalm 75
(This is) for the music leader. (He must use music called) "Do Not Destroy". (This is) a Psalm of Asaph (and) a Song.
v1 God, we thank you. We really thank you because you are still near to us. This is what the wonderful things that you have done tell us!
v2 (God said,) "At the time that I will choose, I will be a fair judge.
v3 When the earth shakes and everything in it (is afraid), I will stop its foundations moving. SELAH
v4 I say to the people that are boasting, "Do not boast". (I say) to the godless, "Do not lift up your horn.
v5 Do not lift your horn up high. (Do not) push your neck up high when you speak".
v6 For nobody
• from the east
• or from the west
• or from the desert (in the south)
• or from the mountains (in the north)
v7 will be judge. Only God (will be judge). He puts one person down and he lifts up another person.
v8 Because there is a cup in the LORD’s hand. It is full of wine, mixing with spice. (The LORD) will pour it out from this (cup). All the godless people in the world will drink it. They will drink the last bit of it.
v9 But I will always talk about (what God did). I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
v10 (Because he says) "I will cut off all the horns of the godless. But I will lift up the horns of the righteous".
Comments
The Story of Psalm 75
The psalm tells us that God has done something good for his people. Many Bible students think that the good thing was this. God saved them from the King of Assyria. His name was Sennacherib. Assyria was a country north and east of Judah. Sennacherib fought against many places near Judah and won. But when he fought against the capital city of Judah, he did not win. The capital city was Jerusalem. The temple was in Jerusalem. God kept the temple and his people that lived near it safe. You can read the story in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37. About 100 years later God did not keep the temple and his people safe. You can read about this in Psalm 74.
There are three pictures in Psalm 75. The psalmist tells us three things in these pictures. He does this because he thinks that we will remember pictures better than words! The pictures are of earthquakes, horns and a cup of wine. What do they mean? You can read the notes to find out what each picture is about. But all three of them say one thing: God is our judge, not men.
What Psalm 75 means
Verses 1 and 9: All the people thank God for what he has done. Because he has given them help, it tells them that God is with them. The Hebrew Bible says, "Your name is near to us". This is one way that the Israelites said "You are near to us". God was where his name was! In verse 9, only the psalmist speaks. He will always talk about what God has done. The "God of Jacob" means "God of the Israelites".
Verses 2, 6 and 7: Only God will be the judge, and he will be a fair judge. "At the time", in verse 2, means "when God decides to be judge". This may be in the lives of people, or at the end when they die. If the psalm is about Sennacherib, then it was while he was alive. Later, when he died, God judged him again. In verse 6, we could translate "the mountains" as "will lift up". They are the same word in Hebrew. Both are true. Nobody is a more important judge than God. It does not matter what direction they come from. And as verse 7 tells us, God "puts one person down and he lifts up another". This means that he says that one person is wrong ("puts down") and another person right ("lifts up").
Verse 3: Earthquakes. An earthquake is when the ground moves. Buildings and trees fall over. Big holes appear in the ground. People and animals become very frightened. When Sennacherib came, the people felt as if they were in an earthquake. They were very much afraid. It was not a real earthquake, but they were just as frightened. God is speaking in verses 2 - 5 (and also verse 10). God says in verse 3 "In an earthquake I can stop the ground moving". This is a picture that tells us this. In a war, God can stop the fighting. The word SELAH maybe means "stop and think and pray about it".
Verses 4, 5 and 10: Horns. Many animals have horns on their heads. Cows, goats and deer are examples. The horns are bones that they fight with. The horns make them strong and powerful. So, in this psalm, horns are just a picture. The godless people (like Sennacherib) did not have horns on their heads! "Do not lift up your horn" in verse 4 means "Do not show how strong you are". Maybe it also means "Do not fight". In verse 10 God says, "I will cut off the horns of the godless". This means that they will not be strong and powerful again. They will be like animals that have lost their horns. They cannot fight. But God’s people, the righteous, will be strong and powerful. But they must wait for "the time that God will choose", verse 1. "Push your neck up high" in verse 5 means "Think you are more important".
Verse 8: A cup of wine. Wine is a drink with alcohol in it. This wine has spices in it. They make it taste different. The wine is a picture of God punishing the godless. "Punish" means "hurt someone because they have done wrong things". Drinking the wine, then, means "punishing people". "Drink the last bit" means that God will punish these people completely. This verse is a picture of God judging his enemies.
Something to do
1. Read other psalms that are about Sennacherib. They are 46, 47, 48 and 76.
2. Think about the word that Jesus used to stop the wind blowing in Mark 4:39. It is a word that we use to tell our animals to be quiet. In England, we tell our dogs "Down boy!" when they jump on us! Jesus was showing the wind and sea that he was more powerful than they were. He owned them. He was telling them, "Down boy!" Now look at Psalm 46:10. Here God tells Sennacherib, "Down boy!" God was more powerful than Sennacherib.
3. Read Isaiah 36 and 37. The same story is in 2 Kings 18 and 19.
4. Learn to say Psalm 75:9 by heart. (This means without looking at the words.)
5. Read about Asaph at the end of Psalm 73 in this set of psalms.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 74
Go and teach all nations
Keep Your Promise!
Psalm 74
Jesus said, "One stone will not stay on another. They will all become broken". (Matthew 25:2)
Psalm 74
(This is) a maskil for Asaph
v1 God, will you never think about us again? Why are you burning with anger against the people that belong to you?
v2 Think (again) about:
• your people that you bought a long time ago
• the people that you chose and saved
• the Mountain called Zion where you lived
v3 Go and look at everything that the enemy broke. He destroyed your temple!
v4 Your enemies have made an angry noise inside your meeting place. They have put their own flags there as signs.
v5 They seemed like wild men! They used axes to cut the temple into pieces!
v6 They used hammers and axes to break the doors and other things made from wood.
v7 They burned your temple to the ground! They said that the place where your name lived was rubbish!
v8 They said in their hearts, "We will completely destroy them". So they burned every meeting place of God in the land.
v9 Nobody gives us signs (that are miracles). There are no prophets with us. Nobody knows how long this will continue.
v10 God, how long will the enemy laugh at you? Will the enemy always laugh at your name?
v11 Why do you hide your hand (from us), even your right hand? Take it out from your pocket! Destroy them!
v12 For you, God, have been my king from the beginning. You have done great things in the earth.
v13 It was you that divided the sea, because you are so strong. You broke the heads of the monsters in the waters.
v14 It was you that broke the heads of Leviathan. You gave him as food for the animals in the desert.
v15 It was you that made springs and streams. It was you that made quick-moving rivers dry!
v16 You made both day and night. It was you that put the moon and the sun in their places.
v17 It was you that said where the (dry) land must be. It was you that made both summer and winter.
v18 LORD, think about this:
• an enemy has laughed at you
• and stupid people have scorned your name
v19 Do not give the life of your dove to wild animals. Do not always forget the lives of your poor people.
v20 Keep your promise! Because the earth is full of dark places where bad men hide.
v21 Do not let oppressed people become ashamed. Let the poor people that need help say how great you are!
v22 Stand up, God! Tell everyone that you are right. Remember that fools are laughing at you all the time.
v23 Listen to the noise that your enemies make. The sound of people fighting against you goes on all the time!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 74
The temple was the house of God. It was the place where people came to pray to God, and to worship him. (Worship means that you tell someone how great they are, and that you love them.) The Israelites made several temples. The most important one was in Jerusalem. Enemies destroyed it twice. The second time, it was the Romans, 70 years after Jesus came to the earth. Jesus had said that this would happen. Look at the top of this psalm for what Jesus said. But about 600 BC, Nebuchadnezzar also destroyed the temple. He was King of Babylon. He took many of the Israelites to Babylon. We call this "the exile". BC means years Before Christ came to the earth.
Psalm 74 is about when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple. The psalmist asks God to think again! "Keep your promise" in verse 20 is "remember the covenant" in Hebrew. The covenant was when God and the Israelites agreed. God would protect them if they obeyed him. The trouble was that they did not obey him. So God let Nebuchadnezzar destroy the temple. He also took the Israelites to Babylon. There they had to do what he told them to do. They were in exile. Really, they were in a prison a long way from home.
Psalm 74 tells us what Nebuchadnezzar did to the temple. The Israelites were sorry because Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple. They were not sorry that they had disobeyed God. ("Disobeyed" means "did not obey".) That is why God did not have to keep his promise. So he let Nebuchadnezzar and his army destroys the temple.
What Psalm 74 means
The psalm is in three parts:
Verses 1 – 11: The psalmist writes about Nebuchadnezzar destroying the temple in Jerusalem. He asks why God is so angry that he lets it happen. He asks why God does not do something.
Verses 12 – 17: The psalmist remembers that God is very strong. He made everything! (Some Bible students think this part is about the Exodus. This was the time when Israel went out from Egypt.)
Verses 18 – 23: So the psalmist asks: if you are so strong, why do you let people destroy your temple?
Verse 1: Because God let Nebuchadnezzar destroy the temple, then God was very angry ("burning with anger") with the Israelites.
Verse 2: This is about God taking the Israelites from Egypt. He bought them, chose them and saved them. He took them to Zion. Zion was the hill in Jerusalem where they built the temple about 1000 BC.
Verses 3 - 8: The enemy destroyed the temple (and the city of Jerusalem). They cut it up with axes, and they burned it. They "put their own flags there as signs". Their flags were bits of cloth with pictures on them. They showed everyone that they had won the fight ... they were "signs" of this.
Verses 9 - 11: Here the signs are different. In verse 4 they were flags that people could look at. In verse 9 they are things that only God can do, we call them miracles. But there are no miracles! There are no prophets! (Jeremiah Ezekiel and Daniel lived at this time, but maybe the psalmist did not know them.) The enemy was laughing at God and his people. Why does God hide his right hand, verse 11? This means, why does God not do something? His right hand is his strong hand. The psalmist asks God to destroy the enemy.
Verse 12: "From the beginning" may mean "when God made heaven and earth". Then the great things that he has done include:
• Verse 13: dividing the sea. This means making the sea separate from the waters above the earth, like rain and mist (water in the air).
• Verses 13 and 14: the monsters and Leviathan. Leviathan is the name of an old sea-monster. Very old stories (that we call legends) tell about God destroying Leviathan when he made the sea.
Verse 15: This may be about the Exodus (when Israel came out from Egypt). A spring is water coming from the ground. God then gave his people water in this way. Also, he made both the Red Sea and the River Jordan dry when the Israelites went from Egypt to Israel. But maybe it is also about when God made the world. He made springs and streams. He made rivers dry.
Verse 16: The Hebrew says "the day and the night belong to you". If verses 12-17 are about God making heaven and earth, then he also made day and night. "The moon" may mean "all the stars".
Verse 17: God decided where the dry land should be. He also made the seasons, like summer and winter.
If you read verses 13-17 in a careful way, you will find "it was you" 7 times. This translates one Hebrew word, "atta". It comes in an important place each time. Bible students think that it means this: "It was you, God, that made everything. It was not the false gods that some people worship".
Verses 18 - 23: finish the psalm with prayer. (A prayer is what you say when you ask or thank God for something.) Remember what the psalm has said:
• the enemy has destroyed the temple and God has done nothing (verses 1-11);
• God is so great that he made everything (verses 12-17).
So the psalm finishes with:
• so, God, do something! (verses 18-23).
The problem with this psalm is this. The psalmist did not know why God let Nebuchadnezzar destroy the temple. He did not know what the prophets had said, verse 9. Jeremiah said that it was because the Israelites disobeyed God. But the psalmist did not know that there were any prophets! Jeremiah even said that God would do something in 70 years time. Again, the psalmist did not know this (verse 9). To us this is all very strange. We can explain it two ways:
• the psalmist was so busy working for God that he did not know what was happening
• the psalm is about another temple, when there were no prophets (the Jews had 7 or more temples)
Bible students do not know. Maybe there is a third way to explain it that we have not found.
Something to do
1. Study verses 12-17, then read Genesis chapter 1 (if you have a Bible).
2. Pray for poor and oppressed people. Ask God to give them help. These people could be:
• refugees (people running away from their enemies or from bad weather)
• oppressed (people that have rulers that make them work hard but do not pay them much)
• at war (God will always help people from both sides if they pray to him)
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Keep Your Promise!
Psalm 74
Jesus said, "One stone will not stay on another. They will all become broken". (Matthew 25:2)
Psalm 74
(This is) a maskil for Asaph
v1 God, will you never think about us again? Why are you burning with anger against the people that belong to you?
v2 Think (again) about:
• your people that you bought a long time ago
• the people that you chose and saved
• the Mountain called Zion where you lived
v3 Go and look at everything that the enemy broke. He destroyed your temple!
v4 Your enemies have made an angry noise inside your meeting place. They have put their own flags there as signs.
v5 They seemed like wild men! They used axes to cut the temple into pieces!
v6 They used hammers and axes to break the doors and other things made from wood.
v7 They burned your temple to the ground! They said that the place where your name lived was rubbish!
v8 They said in their hearts, "We will completely destroy them". So they burned every meeting place of God in the land.
v9 Nobody gives us signs (that are miracles). There are no prophets with us. Nobody knows how long this will continue.
v10 God, how long will the enemy laugh at you? Will the enemy always laugh at your name?
v11 Why do you hide your hand (from us), even your right hand? Take it out from your pocket! Destroy them!
v12 For you, God, have been my king from the beginning. You have done great things in the earth.
v13 It was you that divided the sea, because you are so strong. You broke the heads of the monsters in the waters.
v14 It was you that broke the heads of Leviathan. You gave him as food for the animals in the desert.
v15 It was you that made springs and streams. It was you that made quick-moving rivers dry!
v16 You made both day and night. It was you that put the moon and the sun in their places.
v17 It was you that said where the (dry) land must be. It was you that made both summer and winter.
v18 LORD, think about this:
• an enemy has laughed at you
• and stupid people have scorned your name
v19 Do not give the life of your dove to wild animals. Do not always forget the lives of your poor people.
v20 Keep your promise! Because the earth is full of dark places where bad men hide.
v21 Do not let oppressed people become ashamed. Let the poor people that need help say how great you are!
v22 Stand up, God! Tell everyone that you are right. Remember that fools are laughing at you all the time.
v23 Listen to the noise that your enemies make. The sound of people fighting against you goes on all the time!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 74
The temple was the house of God. It was the place where people came to pray to God, and to worship him. (Worship means that you tell someone how great they are, and that you love them.) The Israelites made several temples. The most important one was in Jerusalem. Enemies destroyed it twice. The second time, it was the Romans, 70 years after Jesus came to the earth. Jesus had said that this would happen. Look at the top of this psalm for what Jesus said. But about 600 BC, Nebuchadnezzar also destroyed the temple. He was King of Babylon. He took many of the Israelites to Babylon. We call this "the exile". BC means years Before Christ came to the earth.
Psalm 74 is about when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple. The psalmist asks God to think again! "Keep your promise" in verse 20 is "remember the covenant" in Hebrew. The covenant was when God and the Israelites agreed. God would protect them if they obeyed him. The trouble was that they did not obey him. So God let Nebuchadnezzar destroy the temple. He also took the Israelites to Babylon. There they had to do what he told them to do. They were in exile. Really, they were in a prison a long way from home.
Psalm 74 tells us what Nebuchadnezzar did to the temple. The Israelites were sorry because Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple. They were not sorry that they had disobeyed God. ("Disobeyed" means "did not obey".) That is why God did not have to keep his promise. So he let Nebuchadnezzar and his army destroys the temple.
What Psalm 74 means
The psalm is in three parts:
Verses 1 – 11: The psalmist writes about Nebuchadnezzar destroying the temple in Jerusalem. He asks why God is so angry that he lets it happen. He asks why God does not do something.
Verses 12 – 17: The psalmist remembers that God is very strong. He made everything! (Some Bible students think this part is about the Exodus. This was the time when Israel went out from Egypt.)
Verses 18 – 23: So the psalmist asks: if you are so strong, why do you let people destroy your temple?
Verse 1: Because God let Nebuchadnezzar destroy the temple, then God was very angry ("burning with anger") with the Israelites.
Verse 2: This is about God taking the Israelites from Egypt. He bought them, chose them and saved them. He took them to Zion. Zion was the hill in Jerusalem where they built the temple about 1000 BC.
Verses 3 - 8: The enemy destroyed the temple (and the city of Jerusalem). They cut it up with axes, and they burned it. They "put their own flags there as signs". Their flags were bits of cloth with pictures on them. They showed everyone that they had won the fight ... they were "signs" of this.
Verses 9 - 11: Here the signs are different. In verse 4 they were flags that people could look at. In verse 9 they are things that only God can do, we call them miracles. But there are no miracles! There are no prophets! (Jeremiah Ezekiel and Daniel lived at this time, but maybe the psalmist did not know them.) The enemy was laughing at God and his people. Why does God hide his right hand, verse 11? This means, why does God not do something? His right hand is his strong hand. The psalmist asks God to destroy the enemy.
Verse 12: "From the beginning" may mean "when God made heaven and earth". Then the great things that he has done include:
• Verse 13: dividing the sea. This means making the sea separate from the waters above the earth, like rain and mist (water in the air).
• Verses 13 and 14: the monsters and Leviathan. Leviathan is the name of an old sea-monster. Very old stories (that we call legends) tell about God destroying Leviathan when he made the sea.
Verse 15: This may be about the Exodus (when Israel came out from Egypt). A spring is water coming from the ground. God then gave his people water in this way. Also, he made both the Red Sea and the River Jordan dry when the Israelites went from Egypt to Israel. But maybe it is also about when God made the world. He made springs and streams. He made rivers dry.
Verse 16: The Hebrew says "the day and the night belong to you". If verses 12-17 are about God making heaven and earth, then he also made day and night. "The moon" may mean "all the stars".
Verse 17: God decided where the dry land should be. He also made the seasons, like summer and winter.
If you read verses 13-17 in a careful way, you will find "it was you" 7 times. This translates one Hebrew word, "atta". It comes in an important place each time. Bible students think that it means this: "It was you, God, that made everything. It was not the false gods that some people worship".
Verses 18 - 23: finish the psalm with prayer. (A prayer is what you say when you ask or thank God for something.) Remember what the psalm has said:
• the enemy has destroyed the temple and God has done nothing (verses 1-11);
• God is so great that he made everything (verses 12-17).
So the psalm finishes with:
• so, God, do something! (verses 18-23).
The problem with this psalm is this. The psalmist did not know why God let Nebuchadnezzar destroy the temple. He did not know what the prophets had said, verse 9. Jeremiah said that it was because the Israelites disobeyed God. But the psalmist did not know that there were any prophets! Jeremiah even said that God would do something in 70 years time. Again, the psalmist did not know this (verse 9). To us this is all very strange. We can explain it two ways:
• the psalmist was so busy working for God that he did not know what was happening
• the psalm is about another temple, when there were no prophets (the Jews had 7 or more temples)
Bible students do not know. Maybe there is a third way to explain it that we have not found.
Something to do
1. Study verses 12-17, then read Genesis chapter 1 (if you have a Bible).
2. Pray for poor and oppressed people. Ask God to give them help. These people could be:
• refugees (people running away from their enemies or from bad weather)
• oppressed (people that have rulers that make them work hard but do not pay them much)
• at war (God will always help people from both sides if they pray to him)
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 73
Go and teach all nations
Now I Understand
Psalm 73
Jesus said, "Make sure that your valuable things are in heaven". (Matthew 6:20)
Psalm 73
(This is) a psalm of Asaph.
v1 I am sure that God is good to (the people of) Israel, to the people whose hearts are clean.
v2 But (this is what happened) to me. My feet nearly slipped and I almost fell over.
v3 Some people had made themselves important. Because I was angry, I wanted the things they had. I saw that godless people had plenty!
v4 And so their bodies are fat (and healthy). Even when they die, they feel no pain.
v5 They do not have trouble like other people or the difficulties that hit everyone else.
v6 So they, (the godless), wear their pride like a necklace. The bad things that they do, they wear them like clothes.
v7 Their eyes look out from fat faces. Their hearts are full of pride.
v8 They laugh (at people) and say bad things (about them). In their pride they talk about oppressing people.
v9 The mouths (of the godless) say that the skies belong to them. And their tongues demand the earth.
v10 So his (God’s) people turn to them. They drink everything from them (the godless).
v11 And they (God’s people) ask, "How can God know?" And (they ask) "Does the Most High see everything?"
v12 This, then, is what godless people (say and do). They have no trouble and plenty of money!
v13 I was sure that I had made my heart clean for no good purpose! Also, I had washed my hands to show that I had done nothing wrong (for no reason)!
v14 I had trouble all day and it started to hurt me every morning!
v15 If I had said, "I will agree (with what the godless say)"; then I would have let down all your children.
v16 When I thought about this, it was so hard for me (to understand).
v17 Then I went into the house of God. That was when I understood what would happen to them (the godless).
v18 (Then) I was sure that you would put them in a place where they would slip! You would throw them down and destroy them.
v19 It will take just a moment to destroy them! Great fear will sweep them away completely.
v20 It will be like when you wake up from a dream. Lord, when you get up, you will forget that they were there!
v21 When my heart hurt me and my stomach was painful...
v22 ...I was stupid and I knew nothing. I was as an angry animal with you!
v23 But really I was always with you. (Now) you hold me by my right hand.
v24 What you say to me will be my guide. And then you will take me to glory.
v25 I know nobody in heaven except you. And, with you, there is nothing (else) on earth that I want.
v26 My heart and my body may fail, but God will always make me strong. He is all that I will ever need.
v27 I am sure that people far from you will die. You will destroy everybody that does not obey you.
v28 But it is good for me to be near to God. I have made the master and LORD my safe place. I will tell (people) about the good things that you do.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 73
This is a psalm by Asaph, or one that somebody wrote for him or his music group. You can read about Asaph at the end of this psalm.
The psalmist had a problem. Bad people had plenty of money and things. Good people did not. Why? Would it be better for him to be bad? Then he went into God’s house. There he understood that bad people would die, but good people would always live with God!
In this psalm, we have translated "bad people" as "godless". This meant:
• before 500 BC, people who were not Israelites
• after 500 BC, people who did not obey God and fought against him; it did not matter who they were.
BC means years Before Christ came to live on the earth. About 500 BC was when many Israelites returned home from the exile. They came from Babylon.
So the psalmist starts with what he had learned: God is good to the people whose hearts are clean.
What Psalm 73 means
The psalm is in three parts. They all start with the same word in Hebrew: ak. It means "surely". We have translated it "I am sure" in verse 1 and "I was sure" in verses 13 and 18.
Verses 1 – 12: The psalmist (maybe Asaph) starts with what he thinks is true. "God is good to Israel", verse 1. He then says whom he means by Israel. It is not everyone that lives in that land. It is only those "whose hearts are clean". This means the people that love and obey God. There are other people in Israel that do not love and obey God. He calls these "the godless", verse 3. The godless had plenty of money and things. God did not seem to punish them. This made Asaph angry! He also wanted plenty of things. He almost stopped loving and obeying God. That is what "my feet nearly slipped and I almost fell over" means, verse 2. The important words are "nearly" and "almost". God did not let the psalmist fall. God was with the psalmist, even if the psalmist did not believe it.
Then Asaph tells us more about the godless:
• they have plenty to eat and drink so they are fat (or healthy), verse 4
• when they die they do not have a lot of pain like some people, verse 4
• they do not have trouble like most people, verse 5
• they make everyone see that they think that they are important, verse 6 (necklace and clothes are what people see)
• they are proud (which means they think that they are important), verse 7 and they oppress people (or are not kind to them), verse 8
• they say that everything in heaven and earth belongs to them, verse 9
All this makes "his people turn to them", verse 10. The Hebrew Bible does not say who "his people" are, or "them". Many Bible students think that it means this: God’s people (whose hearts are clean) want to be like the godless. They want this so that they too can have plenty of money and things. They "drink everything", verse 10, or "do everything the godless do". Then they ask each other if God knows what they have done, verse 11. The answer is God does know because he is with his people.
Some Bible students think that it is the godless that ask the questions in verse 11. The Hebrew Bible only reads "they". But the answer is the same: God knows about them also! This part of the psalm finishes with "the godless have no trouble and plenty of money", verse 12.
Verses 13 – 17: Now Asaph tells us his thoughts. He "almost fell over", verse 2, but he did not really fall over. As he says in verse 23, "I was always with you (God)". But he did want what the godless had. We say that they "tempted" him. He even wrote in verse 13 that "his heart was clean for no good purpose". This means that it was a waste of time being a good Israelite! But he did not slip and fall over, verse 2, for several reasons:
• God was always with him, verse 23
• when the godless tempted him, he felt bad, verse 14
• he would have hurt the good Israelites (or "let them down"), verse 15
• he wanted to understand why it happened, verse 16
So he went to the house of God. Maybe this was the temple in Jerusalem. We know Asaph went there, 2 Chronicles 5:12. Maybe it was another house of God. It does not matter where it was, or when. The psalmist saw what would happen to the godless. He tells us in the last part of the psalm.
Verses 18 – 28: God would surprise the godless, verses 18-20 and 27. In a moment, God would destroy them. One minute they would be there, the next minute they would not! It would be like a dream. When you wake up, it has gone, verse 20. The verse says that it is God that wakes up to find them gone. It is true for God’s people also.
The psalmist was sorry, verses 21-22. He knew nothing! He was stupid! He was like a wild animal! His heart (thoughts) and his stomach (body) had hurt him, but it was all his fault! (Fault means "doing wrong".) God was with him all the time and that was the most important thing in life, verses 23-26. Look at what he wrote about it:
• God would hold his hand and be his guide, verses 23-24
• God would take him to glory, verse 24
• God would give him everything on earth he needed, verses 25-26
• God would make him strong, verse 26
Christians believe that "take me to glory" in verse 24 means "take me to heaven". This is because only God has real glory and God’s home is heaven. The word "glory" means "something that shines very much".
So the psalmist made God his "safe place", verse 28. Another word for "safe place" is "refuge". It is a place where you can find shelter. In a storm, a shelter will keep the wind and rain off you. In the storms of life (the bad things that happen) God will keep you safe. This is what the psalmist believed. It is better to be "near to God" than to have plenty of money and things. In a moment they will all be gone, but God will always be with us!
Something to do
1. Read Psalm 37. Does it teach the same things as Psalm 73? Psalm 37 is in Book 2 of "The Psalms of David".
2. When you see bad people have a lot of money and things, do not get angry. Go to a quiet place and talk to God about it. Listen for his answer. It may come:
• through a Bible verse
• from a Christian friend
• from something you see
Then tell other people that God is good!
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Now I Understand
Psalm 73
Jesus said, "Make sure that your valuable things are in heaven". (Matthew 6:20)
Psalm 73
(This is) a psalm of Asaph.
v1 I am sure that God is good to (the people of) Israel, to the people whose hearts are clean.
v2 But (this is what happened) to me. My feet nearly slipped and I almost fell over.
v3 Some people had made themselves important. Because I was angry, I wanted the things they had. I saw that godless people had plenty!
v4 And so their bodies are fat (and healthy). Even when they die, they feel no pain.
v5 They do not have trouble like other people or the difficulties that hit everyone else.
v6 So they, (the godless), wear their pride like a necklace. The bad things that they do, they wear them like clothes.
v7 Their eyes look out from fat faces. Their hearts are full of pride.
v8 They laugh (at people) and say bad things (about them). In their pride they talk about oppressing people.
v9 The mouths (of the godless) say that the skies belong to them. And their tongues demand the earth.
v10 So his (God’s) people turn to them. They drink everything from them (the godless).
v11 And they (God’s people) ask, "How can God know?" And (they ask) "Does the Most High see everything?"
v12 This, then, is what godless people (say and do). They have no trouble and plenty of money!
v13 I was sure that I had made my heart clean for no good purpose! Also, I had washed my hands to show that I had done nothing wrong (for no reason)!
v14 I had trouble all day and it started to hurt me every morning!
v15 If I had said, "I will agree (with what the godless say)"; then I would have let down all your children.
v16 When I thought about this, it was so hard for me (to understand).
v17 Then I went into the house of God. That was when I understood what would happen to them (the godless).
v18 (Then) I was sure that you would put them in a place where they would slip! You would throw them down and destroy them.
v19 It will take just a moment to destroy them! Great fear will sweep them away completely.
v20 It will be like when you wake up from a dream. Lord, when you get up, you will forget that they were there!
v21 When my heart hurt me and my stomach was painful...
v22 ...I was stupid and I knew nothing. I was as an angry animal with you!
v23 But really I was always with you. (Now) you hold me by my right hand.
v24 What you say to me will be my guide. And then you will take me to glory.
v25 I know nobody in heaven except you. And, with you, there is nothing (else) on earth that I want.
v26 My heart and my body may fail, but God will always make me strong. He is all that I will ever need.
v27 I am sure that people far from you will die. You will destroy everybody that does not obey you.
v28 But it is good for me to be near to God. I have made the master and LORD my safe place. I will tell (people) about the good things that you do.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 73
This is a psalm by Asaph, or one that somebody wrote for him or his music group. You can read about Asaph at the end of this psalm.
The psalmist had a problem. Bad people had plenty of money and things. Good people did not. Why? Would it be better for him to be bad? Then he went into God’s house. There he understood that bad people would die, but good people would always live with God!
In this psalm, we have translated "bad people" as "godless". This meant:
• before 500 BC, people who were not Israelites
• after 500 BC, people who did not obey God and fought against him; it did not matter who they were.
BC means years Before Christ came to live on the earth. About 500 BC was when many Israelites returned home from the exile. They came from Babylon.
So the psalmist starts with what he had learned: God is good to the people whose hearts are clean.
What Psalm 73 means
The psalm is in three parts. They all start with the same word in Hebrew: ak. It means "surely". We have translated it "I am sure" in verse 1 and "I was sure" in verses 13 and 18.
Verses 1 – 12: The psalmist (maybe Asaph) starts with what he thinks is true. "God is good to Israel", verse 1. He then says whom he means by Israel. It is not everyone that lives in that land. It is only those "whose hearts are clean". This means the people that love and obey God. There are other people in Israel that do not love and obey God. He calls these "the godless", verse 3. The godless had plenty of money and things. God did not seem to punish them. This made Asaph angry! He also wanted plenty of things. He almost stopped loving and obeying God. That is what "my feet nearly slipped and I almost fell over" means, verse 2. The important words are "nearly" and "almost". God did not let the psalmist fall. God was with the psalmist, even if the psalmist did not believe it.
Then Asaph tells us more about the godless:
• they have plenty to eat and drink so they are fat (or healthy), verse 4
• when they die they do not have a lot of pain like some people, verse 4
• they do not have trouble like most people, verse 5
• they make everyone see that they think that they are important, verse 6 (necklace and clothes are what people see)
• they are proud (which means they think that they are important), verse 7 and they oppress people (or are not kind to them), verse 8
• they say that everything in heaven and earth belongs to them, verse 9
All this makes "his people turn to them", verse 10. The Hebrew Bible does not say who "his people" are, or "them". Many Bible students think that it means this: God’s people (whose hearts are clean) want to be like the godless. They want this so that they too can have plenty of money and things. They "drink everything", verse 10, or "do everything the godless do". Then they ask each other if God knows what they have done, verse 11. The answer is God does know because he is with his people.
Some Bible students think that it is the godless that ask the questions in verse 11. The Hebrew Bible only reads "they". But the answer is the same: God knows about them also! This part of the psalm finishes with "the godless have no trouble and plenty of money", verse 12.
Verses 13 – 17: Now Asaph tells us his thoughts. He "almost fell over", verse 2, but he did not really fall over. As he says in verse 23, "I was always with you (God)". But he did want what the godless had. We say that they "tempted" him. He even wrote in verse 13 that "his heart was clean for no good purpose". This means that it was a waste of time being a good Israelite! But he did not slip and fall over, verse 2, for several reasons:
• God was always with him, verse 23
• when the godless tempted him, he felt bad, verse 14
• he would have hurt the good Israelites (or "let them down"), verse 15
• he wanted to understand why it happened, verse 16
So he went to the house of God. Maybe this was the temple in Jerusalem. We know Asaph went there, 2 Chronicles 5:12. Maybe it was another house of God. It does not matter where it was, or when. The psalmist saw what would happen to the godless. He tells us in the last part of the psalm.
Verses 18 – 28: God would surprise the godless, verses 18-20 and 27. In a moment, God would destroy them. One minute they would be there, the next minute they would not! It would be like a dream. When you wake up, it has gone, verse 20. The verse says that it is God that wakes up to find them gone. It is true for God’s people also.
The psalmist was sorry, verses 21-22. He knew nothing! He was stupid! He was like a wild animal! His heart (thoughts) and his stomach (body) had hurt him, but it was all his fault! (Fault means "doing wrong".) God was with him all the time and that was the most important thing in life, verses 23-26. Look at what he wrote about it:
• God would hold his hand and be his guide, verses 23-24
• God would take him to glory, verse 24
• God would give him everything on earth he needed, verses 25-26
• God would make him strong, verse 26
Christians believe that "take me to glory" in verse 24 means "take me to heaven". This is because only God has real glory and God’s home is heaven. The word "glory" means "something that shines very much".
So the psalmist made God his "safe place", verse 28. Another word for "safe place" is "refuge". It is a place where you can find shelter. In a storm, a shelter will keep the wind and rain off you. In the storms of life (the bad things that happen) God will keep you safe. This is what the psalmist believed. It is better to be "near to God" than to have plenty of money and things. In a moment they will all be gone, but God will always be with us!
Something to do
1. Read Psalm 37. Does it teach the same things as Psalm 73? Psalm 37 is in Book 2 of "The Psalms of David".
2. When you see bad people have a lot of money and things, do not get angry. Go to a quiet place and talk to God about it. Listen for his answer. It may come:
• through a Bible verse
• from a Christian friend
• from something you see
Then tell other people that God is good!
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Friday, May 19, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 72
Go and teach all nations
The Good, Great King of Glory
Psalm 72
Psalm 72: 1 - 7 ~ The Good King
(This psalm is) for or by Solomon.
v1 God, give your justice to the king and your righteousness to the king’s son.
v2 He will rule your people with righteousness and the poor people with justice.
v3 With righteousness will the mountains and the hills bring peace to the people.
v4 He will defend the poor people and save the children of those that are in need. He will destroy cruel people
v5 and they will be afraid of him as long as there is a sun and a moon.
v6 He will be like rain that falls on grass that people have just cut. He will be like showers that bring water to the earth.
v7 When he is king, a righteous person will do well. There will be peace until there is no moon!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 72
This psalm is about the best king that there can ever be! Maybe David wrote it for (or about) his son, Solomon; or maybe it is by Solomon. Christians have always believed that there is only one king it can really be about: Jesus!
What Psalm 72: 1 - 7 means
There are three important words in this part of the psalm:
• righteousness means goodness, or being very, very good (verses 1, 2, 3). In verse 1 we see that it is God's righteousness that the king has. In verse 7 the good people he rules will have it, and also be righteous.
• justice means fairness, or being fair (verses 1, 2).
• peace (verses 3, 7)means more than "no fighting". Here it also means health and wealth (plenty of money and things). "The mountains and the hills" (verse 3) mean all the land where they live.
In verse 1 the king and the king’s son are the same person.
In verse 4 the good king will defend (stop others hurting) the poor people. The cruel people (that hurt the poor) will always be afraid of the good king. He will be as showers of rain that bring life to the dead earth! He will always do this while the sun and moon both shine (verses 5 and 7). This means always.
Psalm 72: 8 - 14 ~ The Great King
v8 He will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.
v9 People that live in wild places will kneel in front of him and his enemies will eat the dirt.
v10 Kings from Spain and other far places will give him money and kings from Arabia and Africa will bring him gifts.
v11 All the kings will fall down in front of him and people in every land will become his servants.
v12 For he will save the person in need that is crying for help. And he will save the poor that nobody is giving help to.
v13 He will be kind to people that are weak and in need. He will save the lives of the people in need.
v14 He will buy back their lives from cruel people that hurt them. Their blood is of great value in his eyes.
What Psalm 72: 8 - 14 means
There are three important words in this part of the psalm also:
• the person in need (verses 12, 13). "In need" is an English way (or idiom) to say people that need money, food, clothes or a home.
• the poor (verse 12, also verses 2 and 4). This means more than people with not much money. It also means people that rich and powerful people oppress. Oppress means that they are cruel (very unkind) to them. They make them work so that the rich and powerful people get more money and the poor get very little money.
• save (verses 12, 13, also verse 4). These words are not all the same in Hebrew, but all mean "save" or "rescue" ("take you away from someone hurting you") One of the Hebrew words is YOSHEA, which in Greek became JESUS!
In verse 8 the river is the Euphrates. The verse means that the king will be so great that he will rule all the world. In verse 9 "kneel" means "fall to your knees"; and "eat the dirt" means "your faces are on the ground". This is what happened to the enemies of a king many years ago when he caught them. In verse 10 one of the places is Sheba in Hebrew, whose Queen brought Solomon gifts.
Psalm 72: 15 - 20 ~ The King Of Glory
v15 I pray that he will always be alive and that:
• people will give him gold from Arabia (Sheba)
• people will always pray for him
• people will bless him all the day.
v16 There will be plenty of grain in the land. It will blow (in the wind) even on the top of the mountains. Its fruit will grow as well as (in) Lebanon. Even people in the towns will be as grass in a field.
v17 His name will remain for ever. It will continue as long as the sun (shines). All people will bless themselves by him and people in every country will say that he is happy.
v18 Bless the LORD God, the God of Israel. Only he does wonderful things.
v19 Bless his glorious name for ever. Fill all the earth with his glory.
v20 This is the end of the prayers of David, son of Jesse.
What Psalm 72: 15 - 20 means
There is a special word that comes 4 times in this part of the psalm: bless (verses 15, 17, 18 and 19). There is no English word that means the same as the Hebrew "bless" (baruch). It means more than "say and do good things to". Also, it does not have the same meaning when:
• God blesses us (which means we will have many children, so will our animals, our plants will grow well and we will have much money, houses and fields)
• We bless God (which means we say how good, great and glorious he is, in other words, we praise him). "Glorious" is the adjective (a word that describes) from "glory". "Glory" means "shining as the sun".
In verse 16 grain is what we make bread with. In Lebanon, all the plants grew well. In verse 17 "for ever" means "always" … even after we die! Verse 20 tells us that Psalm 72 finishes the Second Book of Psalms.
Something to do
Read Psalm 72. Find as many things as you can that make you think about Jesus.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
The Good, Great King of Glory
Psalm 72
Psalm 72: 1 - 7 ~ The Good King
(This psalm is) for or by Solomon.
v1 God, give your justice to the king and your righteousness to the king’s son.
v2 He will rule your people with righteousness and the poor people with justice.
v3 With righteousness will the mountains and the hills bring peace to the people.
v4 He will defend the poor people and save the children of those that are in need. He will destroy cruel people
v5 and they will be afraid of him as long as there is a sun and a moon.
v6 He will be like rain that falls on grass that people have just cut. He will be like showers that bring water to the earth.
v7 When he is king, a righteous person will do well. There will be peace until there is no moon!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 72
This psalm is about the best king that there can ever be! Maybe David wrote it for (or about) his son, Solomon; or maybe it is by Solomon. Christians have always believed that there is only one king it can really be about: Jesus!
What Psalm 72: 1 - 7 means
There are three important words in this part of the psalm:
• righteousness means goodness, or being very, very good (verses 1, 2, 3). In verse 1 we see that it is God's righteousness that the king has. In verse 7 the good people he rules will have it, and also be righteous.
• justice means fairness, or being fair (verses 1, 2).
• peace (verses 3, 7)means more than "no fighting". Here it also means health and wealth (plenty of money and things). "The mountains and the hills" (verse 3) mean all the land where they live.
In verse 1 the king and the king’s son are the same person.
In verse 4 the good king will defend (stop others hurting) the poor people. The cruel people (that hurt the poor) will always be afraid of the good king. He will be as showers of rain that bring life to the dead earth! He will always do this while the sun and moon both shine (verses 5 and 7). This means always.
Psalm 72: 8 - 14 ~ The Great King
v8 He will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.
v9 People that live in wild places will kneel in front of him and his enemies will eat the dirt.
v10 Kings from Spain and other far places will give him money and kings from Arabia and Africa will bring him gifts.
v11 All the kings will fall down in front of him and people in every land will become his servants.
v12 For he will save the person in need that is crying for help. And he will save the poor that nobody is giving help to.
v13 He will be kind to people that are weak and in need. He will save the lives of the people in need.
v14 He will buy back their lives from cruel people that hurt them. Their blood is of great value in his eyes.
What Psalm 72: 8 - 14 means
There are three important words in this part of the psalm also:
• the person in need (verses 12, 13). "In need" is an English way (or idiom) to say people that need money, food, clothes or a home.
• the poor (verse 12, also verses 2 and 4). This means more than people with not much money. It also means people that rich and powerful people oppress. Oppress means that they are cruel (very unkind) to them. They make them work so that the rich and powerful people get more money and the poor get very little money.
• save (verses 12, 13, also verse 4). These words are not all the same in Hebrew, but all mean "save" or "rescue" ("take you away from someone hurting you") One of the Hebrew words is YOSHEA, which in Greek became JESUS!
In verse 8 the river is the Euphrates. The verse means that the king will be so great that he will rule all the world. In verse 9 "kneel" means "fall to your knees"; and "eat the dirt" means "your faces are on the ground". This is what happened to the enemies of a king many years ago when he caught them. In verse 10 one of the places is Sheba in Hebrew, whose Queen brought Solomon gifts.
Psalm 72: 15 - 20 ~ The King Of Glory
v15 I pray that he will always be alive and that:
• people will give him gold from Arabia (Sheba)
• people will always pray for him
• people will bless him all the day.
v16 There will be plenty of grain in the land. It will blow (in the wind) even on the top of the mountains. Its fruit will grow as well as (in) Lebanon. Even people in the towns will be as grass in a field.
v17 His name will remain for ever. It will continue as long as the sun (shines). All people will bless themselves by him and people in every country will say that he is happy.
v18 Bless the LORD God, the God of Israel. Only he does wonderful things.
v19 Bless his glorious name for ever. Fill all the earth with his glory.
v20 This is the end of the prayers of David, son of Jesse.
What Psalm 72: 15 - 20 means
There is a special word that comes 4 times in this part of the psalm: bless (verses 15, 17, 18 and 19). There is no English word that means the same as the Hebrew "bless" (baruch). It means more than "say and do good things to". Also, it does not have the same meaning when:
• God blesses us (which means we will have many children, so will our animals, our plants will grow well and we will have much money, houses and fields)
• We bless God (which means we say how good, great and glorious he is, in other words, we praise him). "Glorious" is the adjective (a word that describes) from "glory". "Glory" means "shining as the sun".
In verse 16 grain is what we make bread with. In Lebanon, all the plants grew well. In verse 17 "for ever" means "always" … even after we die! Verse 20 tells us that Psalm 72 finishes the Second Book of Psalms.
Something to do
Read Psalm 72. Find as many things as you can that make you think about Jesus.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 71
Go and teach all nations
A Song for Old Age
Psalm 71
Jesus said, "Trust me until the day that you die. Then I will give to you a crown of life". (Revelation 2:10)
Psalm 71
v1 LORD, I am trusting in you. Do not let me ever become ashamed.
v2 Take me away from danger and make me free, because you do what is right. Listen to me and make me safe.
v3 You really are a rock, where I can always go to hide from danger. Tell people to make me safe, for you are my rock and my fortress.
v4 My God, take me from the hands of godless people. Take me from the cruel and evil people that are holding me.
v5 You are my hope, Master. LORD, I have trusted in you since I was young.
v6 Since I was born, I have trusted in you. You have given me help since I came out of my mother's womb. I will always tell you how great you are!
v7 I make many people think of danger and become afraid. But you are a strong and safe place for me.
v8 My mouth is full of saying how great you are. All day I am saying that you are beautiful!
v9 Do not throw me away when I am old. Do not forget me when I am not strong.
v10 For my enemies say things against me and the people that want to kill me are making plans together.
v11 They say, "God has forgotten him. Run after him and catch him! For nobody will save him".
v12 God, do not stay far from me. God, give me help very soon.
v13 Make my enemies become completely ashamed. Cover in scorn and disgrace the people that want to hurt me.
v14 But I, I will always have hope. I will go on saying again and again that you are great.
v15 My mouth will say that you are righteous, that you make people safe all day long. (I will do this) even if I do not know how much (you have done).
v16 I will come and speak about the great things that you have done, Master and LORD. I will talk about how righteous that you are. You, only you, (are righteous).
v17 God, you have taught me since I was young. And until now I have told about the wonderful things that you have done.
v18 And even when I am old and grey, do not forget me, God. Do not forget me until I tell the people still to be born:
• about your great power and
• how strong you are.
v19 You are righteous, God, with righteousness as high as the sky! You have done such great things, God, who is like you?
v20 Even when you made me see troubles, many bad troubles, you made me live again. From deep under the earth you brought me up again.
v21 You will make me great again and make me strong.
v22 I will sing about how great you are, with harp music. You do what you promise, God. I will sing about how great you are, with guitar music. You are the Holy One of Israel.
v23 My lips will shout because I am so happy! I really want to sing about how great you are. You have bought me back.
v24 My tongue will talk about your righteousness all day long. The people that want to hurt me will become ashamed and covered with disgrace.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 71
The person that wrote this psalm knew the psalms that David wrote very well. Maybe it was the prophet Jeremiah. Below, in Something to do you will find some psalms to look at. If you do this, you will see that Psalm 71 repeats verses from them.
What Psalm 71 means
Verse 3: David often said that God was his rock and his fortress.
He meant that God was someone that he could trust (rock) and someone that he could hide in (fortress).
Verse 4: "The hands of bad people" means that bad people were holding him. He was not free.
Verses 5 and 16: Master and LORD are two Hebrew words that mean "Lord" in English. "Master" is "Lord on earth", "LORD" is "*Lord in heaven", where God lives.
Verse 7: This is a difficult verse to translate. The person that wrote the psalm (the psalmist) says that people think that he is a warning. "Warning" means "there is danger". It makes people afraid. Maybe it makes them think about what God will do to them because they are bad.
Verse 9: The psalmist does not want God to ‘throw him away’ when he is old. He wants God to continue giving him help.
Verse 13: There are new words here. Scorn and disgrace are things that happen to people when other people find out what they have done wrong.
Verses 15, 16, 19 and 24: These all talk about "righteous". The word "righteous" means "very, very good". Only God is really righteous. He always does what is right. Some Bible students translate the end of verse 15, "even if I cannot write good words".
Verse 18: "Old and grey" means that the psalmist’s hair has gone grey now that he is old. "The people still to be born" are his children and his grandchildren. We call them "the next generations". We must tell them about what God has done for us.
Verse 20: "Deep under the earth" means that the psalmist thought that he would die and people would bury him. But he did not die … God made him safe, so people did not bury him!
Verse 22: The "Holy One of Israel" is another name for God.
Verse 23: We say that when he died Jesus bought us (or "redeemed us") from everything that is bad. The psalmist felt the same.
Something to do
Here are some verses from the psalms. Read them from the Bible, or from this set of psalms, and decide if they are like any verses from Psalm 71. Psalm 31:1-3; parts of Psalm 22; Psalm 35:4, 26, Psalm 36:6, Psalm 38:12, Psalm 40:13 and Psalm 70:1.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
A Song for Old Age
Psalm 71
Jesus said, "Trust me until the day that you die. Then I will give to you a crown of life". (Revelation 2:10)
Psalm 71
v1 LORD, I am trusting in you. Do not let me ever become ashamed.
v2 Take me away from danger and make me free, because you do what is right. Listen to me and make me safe.
v3 You really are a rock, where I can always go to hide from danger. Tell people to make me safe, for you are my rock and my fortress.
v4 My God, take me from the hands of godless people. Take me from the cruel and evil people that are holding me.
v5 You are my hope, Master. LORD, I have trusted in you since I was young.
v6 Since I was born, I have trusted in you. You have given me help since I came out of my mother's womb. I will always tell you how great you are!
v7 I make many people think of danger and become afraid. But you are a strong and safe place for me.
v8 My mouth is full of saying how great you are. All day I am saying that you are beautiful!
v9 Do not throw me away when I am old. Do not forget me when I am not strong.
v10 For my enemies say things against me and the people that want to kill me are making plans together.
v11 They say, "God has forgotten him. Run after him and catch him! For nobody will save him".
v12 God, do not stay far from me. God, give me help very soon.
v13 Make my enemies become completely ashamed. Cover in scorn and disgrace the people that want to hurt me.
v14 But I, I will always have hope. I will go on saying again and again that you are great.
v15 My mouth will say that you are righteous, that you make people safe all day long. (I will do this) even if I do not know how much (you have done).
v16 I will come and speak about the great things that you have done, Master and LORD. I will talk about how righteous that you are. You, only you, (are righteous).
v17 God, you have taught me since I was young. And until now I have told about the wonderful things that you have done.
v18 And even when I am old and grey, do not forget me, God. Do not forget me until I tell the people still to be born:
• about your great power and
• how strong you are.
v19 You are righteous, God, with righteousness as high as the sky! You have done such great things, God, who is like you?
v20 Even when you made me see troubles, many bad troubles, you made me live again. From deep under the earth you brought me up again.
v21 You will make me great again and make me strong.
v22 I will sing about how great you are, with harp music. You do what you promise, God. I will sing about how great you are, with guitar music. You are the Holy One of Israel.
v23 My lips will shout because I am so happy! I really want to sing about how great you are. You have bought me back.
v24 My tongue will talk about your righteousness all day long. The people that want to hurt me will become ashamed and covered with disgrace.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 71
The person that wrote this psalm knew the psalms that David wrote very well. Maybe it was the prophet Jeremiah. Below, in Something to do you will find some psalms to look at. If you do this, you will see that Psalm 71 repeats verses from them.
What Psalm 71 means
Verse 3: David often said that God was his rock and his fortress.
He meant that God was someone that he could trust (rock) and someone that he could hide in (fortress).
Verse 4: "The hands of bad people" means that bad people were holding him. He was not free.
Verses 5 and 16: Master and LORD are two Hebrew words that mean "Lord" in English. "Master" is "Lord on earth", "LORD" is "*Lord in heaven", where God lives.
Verse 7: This is a difficult verse to translate. The person that wrote the psalm (the psalmist) says that people think that he is a warning. "Warning" means "there is danger". It makes people afraid. Maybe it makes them think about what God will do to them because they are bad.
Verse 9: The psalmist does not want God to ‘throw him away’ when he is old. He wants God to continue giving him help.
Verse 13: There are new words here. Scorn and disgrace are things that happen to people when other people find out what they have done wrong.
Verses 15, 16, 19 and 24: These all talk about "righteous". The word "righteous" means "very, very good". Only God is really righteous. He always does what is right. Some Bible students translate the end of verse 15, "even if I cannot write good words".
Verse 18: "Old and grey" means that the psalmist’s hair has gone grey now that he is old. "The people still to be born" are his children and his grandchildren. We call them "the next generations". We must tell them about what God has done for us.
Verse 20: "Deep under the earth" means that the psalmist thought that he would die and people would bury him. But he did not die … God made him safe, so people did not bury him!
Verse 22: The "Holy One of Israel" is another name for God.
Verse 23: We say that when he died Jesus bought us (or "redeemed us") from everything that is bad. The psalmist felt the same.
Something to do
Here are some verses from the psalms. Read them from the Bible, or from this set of psalms, and decide if they are like any verses from Psalm 71. Psalm 31:1-3; parts of Psalm 22; Psalm 35:4, 26, Psalm 36:6, Psalm 38:12, Psalm 40:13 and Psalm 70:1.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 70
Go and teach all nations
Help to Remember
Psalm 70
Jesus said, "Do this to remember me". (Luke 22:19)
Psalm 70
(This is) for the (music) leader. (It is) a psalm of David, to give him help to remember.
v1 God, save me! LORD, hurry to give me help.
v2 There are people that want to kill me. I hope that they will become ashamed and confused. There are people that want to destroy me. I hope that everyone will say that they are bad people.
v3 I want all those people that say to me "Aha! Aha!" to become very sorry for what they have done.
v4 I want everyone looking for you to be happy, very happy. I want everyone that loves it when you save them to say, "Praise God".
v5 But I am poor and I need help. God, hurry to give me help. You are my help, and you save me. God, do not be long!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 70
If you read Psalm 40:13-17 you will find that it is like Psalm 70. There are very few differences. Why do these words come twice in our Bibles? If you look at Psalm 35:4, 21, 26 and 27 you will find that most of Psalm 70 is there also. It really comes three times! Perhaps the word "remember" at the top gives us help. David thought that it was important to remember the words of Psalm 70, because he was often in danger. Perhaps he used them when he was not thanking God for an answer to his prayer (as in Psalm 40). There are two other examples of psalms coming twice or three times: Psalms 14 and 53; and Psalms 57, 60 and 108.
In the New Testament also we find words repeated. Many of the stories of Jesus come more than once. The Feeding of 5000 People comes 4 times! Saint Paul also said, "To write the same things to you ... is safe" (Philippians 3:1). When things come more than once it means that God wants us to remember them in a special way.
What Psalm 70 means
Verse 1: David asks God for help soon, because (verse 2) an enemy is going to kill him.
Verse 3: The enemy thinks that he has beaten David, so the enemy says, "Aha! Aha!" These are not really words, but sounds that people make when they think, "I have won the fight!"
Verse 5: David remembers again that he needs help from God.
Something to do
Read Psalm 40:13 - 17 and Psalm 70 and find where they are not the same. Do the differences change what it means?
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Help to Remember
Psalm 70
Jesus said, "Do this to remember me". (Luke 22:19)
Psalm 70
(This is) for the (music) leader. (It is) a psalm of David, to give him help to remember.
v1 God, save me! LORD, hurry to give me help.
v2 There are people that want to kill me. I hope that they will become ashamed and confused. There are people that want to destroy me. I hope that everyone will say that they are bad people.
v3 I want all those people that say to me "Aha! Aha!" to become very sorry for what they have done.
v4 I want everyone looking for you to be happy, very happy. I want everyone that loves it when you save them to say, "Praise God".
v5 But I am poor and I need help. God, hurry to give me help. You are my help, and you save me. God, do not be long!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 70
If you read Psalm 40:13-17 you will find that it is like Psalm 70. There are very few differences. Why do these words come twice in our Bibles? If you look at Psalm 35:4, 21, 26 and 27 you will find that most of Psalm 70 is there also. It really comes three times! Perhaps the word "remember" at the top gives us help. David thought that it was important to remember the words of Psalm 70, because he was often in danger. Perhaps he used them when he was not thanking God for an answer to his prayer (as in Psalm 40). There are two other examples of psalms coming twice or three times: Psalms 14 and 53; and Psalms 57, 60 and 108.
In the New Testament also we find words repeated. Many of the stories of Jesus come more than once. The Feeding of 5000 People comes 4 times! Saint Paul also said, "To write the same things to you ... is safe" (Philippians 3:1). When things come more than once it means that God wants us to remember them in a special way.
What Psalm 70 means
Verse 1: David asks God for help soon, because (verse 2) an enemy is going to kill him.
Verse 3: The enemy thinks that he has beaten David, so the enemy says, "Aha! Aha!" These are not really words, but sounds that people make when they think, "I have won the fight!"
Verse 5: David remembers again that he needs help from God.
Something to do
Read Psalm 40:13 - 17 and Psalm 70 and find where they are not the same. Do the differences change what it means?
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Part 4
Go and teach all nations
Psalm 69 Part 4
Psalm 69 in the New Testament
Many of the psalms have prophecies in them. This means that they say what is going to happen before it really happens. Many of these prophecies are about Jesus. A good example is Psalm 22.
Psalm 69 is not a psalm full of prophecies. It tells us about what happens to many of God’s people, like Jeremiah. Because people hate God, but cannot touch him, they hurt God’s people. Sometimes they kill them. We call hurting and killing people "persecution". People often persecute those who:
• are from a different country
• believe something different.
They persecuted Jesus. For this reason, some of the things in Psalm 69 did happen to Jesus. When Jesus’ friends wrote the New Testament, they remembered the things in Psalm 69 that happened to Jesus. But they did not only happen to Jesus, they happened to other servants of God also.
Jesus used one of the verses in Psalm 69 to explain to his friends that someone would persecute them also. He called this someone ‘the world’. By that, he meant the people that did not love, trust and obey him. Here is part of what Jesus said in John chapter 15:
v18 If the world hates you, remember this. It hated me before it hated you.
v20 Remember the words that I said to you. The servant is not more important than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
v23 He that hates me hates my Father also.
v25 But this happened that the word would come true, the word in the scripture: "THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A REASON".
Not all the chapter is here, there is not enough room for it here. Try to get a Bible, and read all the chapter. The scripture Jesus talked about was Psalm 69:4. Jesus put two parts of the verse together, people hate me … they have no reason.
Psalms of Imprecation
Many of the psalms are prayers. Prayers are the words that we say to God. Most of the psalms ask God for good things, but a few do not. They ask for bad things to happen to people. We call these "Psalms of Imprecation". We could call them "Psalms with Bad Prayers".
Christians do not like these bad prayers. Christians tell us that Jesus was not like this. He did not pray for bad things to happen to his enemies. When they crucified him he prayed, "Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). We must be like Jesus and pray for good things to happen, even to our enemies.
But Bible students still think that they must explain the bad prayers. They are in the Bible, and Paul tells us that all the Bible is of use to us, 2 Timothy 3:16. One use is to tell us how not to pray for our enemies! Many of our enemies (because they are really God’s enemies) have become Christians through prayers. But some famous Bible students explain them another way. Saint Augustine (1600 years ago) and Bonhoeffer (60 years ago) said that these were not the words of the psalmist. They were the words of Jesus speaking in the psalmist. They said what would happen to God’s enemies if they did not ask him to forgive them before they died. After that, they could not:
• ask God to forgive them
• ask God to make them righteous
• ask God to put their names into his book of life.
If we explain it like this, then some of the words that Jesus did say are important. He will say to some people after they die, "I did not know you. Go away, you are bad people" (Matthew 7:23).
It is not our job to say what will happen to people when they die. That is for God to say. Augustine and Bonhoeffer tell us that God has already said it in the Psalms of Imprecation. Our job is to pray that God will not say it to people that we meet.
Something to do
Some of the things in Psalm 69 happened to Jesus and his friends. See "Psalm 69 in the New Testament". Here are some more verses from the New Testament. See if you can find which verses in Psalm 69 they come from. Sometimes the words are not quite the same. This is because the New Testament uses the Greek Old Testament most times, not the Hebrew Old Testament. Our translation comes from the Hebrew Old Testament.
1. John 1:11. He (Jesus) came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him.
2. John 2:17. His friends remembered what was in the scripture. "I am angry for your house and it burns me up inside". (This happened after Jesus had been to the temple in Jerusalem. He sent out the people there who were selling things. He was angry because they should not have done it there. "Scripture" is a word for "something written in their Bible".)
3. Acts 1:20. In the Book of Psalms it says, "Let the place where he lived be empty and do not let anyone live there". (The friends of Jesus said this after Judas killed himself. Judas was a special friend (or disciple) of Jesus. He took the Roman soldiers to Jesus when they were looking for him. We say that Judas "betrayed" Jesus. After this, Judas was so sad that he killed himself.)
4. Matthew 27:29. They laughed at him (Jesus) and said, "You are the Great King of the Jews!" (The Roman soldiers did this before they crucified (killed) Jesus. This was after Judas betrayed Jesus. The soldiers did not mean what they said. They said it in scorn, or "bad fun". You may find more than one verse in the psalms that makes you think of Matthew 27:29.)
5. Romans 11:9-10. And David said, "Let their table become a trap. Let their eyes be in the dark so that they cannot see". (Paul wrote this about the Jews who would not receive Jesus.)
6. Romans 15:3. Even Jesus did not look for pleasure for himself. As the scripture says, "The insults of the people that insulted you fell on me". (Paul wrote this to tell people not to look for an easy time.)
7. Matthew 27:34. They gave him (Jesus) vinegar to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink it. (This was just before they crucified (killed) Jesus.)
Here are the answers if you want to check if you were right.
John 1:11 verse 8
John 2:17 verse 9
Acts 1:20 verse 25
Matthew 27:29 verses 12, 20
Romans 11:9 verses 22, 23
Romans 15:3 verse 9
Matthew 27:34 verse 21
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Monday, May 15, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 69 Part 3
Go and teach all nations
The Whipping Boy
Psalm 69:19-36
Psalm 69: Verses 19 - 22
v19 You (God) know that people insult me and say that I am a disgrace and make me ashamed.
v20 Insults have broken my heart. I feel helpless. I looked for sympathy, but there was none. I wanted someone to comfort me, but did not find anyone.
v21 But they put poison in my food
and they gave me vinegar to drink.
v22 I want (the food on) their table to be a trap (for them) and a trap for all their good friends!
Comments
What verses 19 - 22 mean
The insults (or bad things that people say about someone) in verse 19 have broken the heart of the psalmist in verse 20. This means that they have made him so sad that he wants to die. He looked for someone to listen to him and give him some help, but nobody did. Rather, they gave him a poison called gall and vinegar to drink. This is where we have some imprecations. They are in verses 22 - 29. Look later for what imprecations are. Here, the idea of his enemies giving him poison makes him want them to eat poison! So he says in verse 22 that he wants their food (on their table) to trap them and their friends. The poison that they gave him in verse 21 was gall. It had a bad taste, the opposite of sweet. Maybe it came from a plant, or a snake. Matthew 27:34 says that they gave Jesus vinegar and gall to drink just before they crucified (killed) him. But he did not drink it. Mark 15:23 says there was myrrh in the vinegar, which would make the pain less.
Psalm 69: Verses 23 - 29
v23 I want their eyes to be in the dark so that they cannot see. I want their bodies to bend over always,
v24 (because) you are so angry with them. Pour out your anger on them!
v25 I want the places where they stay to be empty and nobody to be in their tents.
v26 For they persecute the people that you (God) hurt and talk about (more) pain for the people that you punish.
v27 Make a note of all their sins and do not let them have your righteousness.
v28 Take their names out of the book of life. Take them off the list of righteous people.
v29 But I have pain (in my body) and trouble (in my mind). God, protect me and make me safe.
Comments
What verses 23 - 29 mean
By verse 25, they are not in their towns but in Sheol where no one can see them. Verses 27 - 28 are the worst imprecations we could ask! Not only does the psalmist ask that his enemies die and go to Sheol (verse 23). He asks more! He asks that God will not make them righteous and that he will take away their names from the book of life. To Christians, this means that he is asking God never to let these enemies become Christians. Jesus said that we must pray for our enemies. He showed us what words to say, when his enemies killed him. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them". When God forgives us he makes us righteous and puts our names into his book of life. Look at Psalms of Imprecation for more.
Psalm 69: Verses 30 - 36
v30 I will praise God’s name with songs and I will say how great he is by giving thanks.
v31 This will bring more pleasure to the LORD than an ox or a bull with horns and hooves.
v32 Poor people will see it and be happy. People that are looking for God will have brave hearts again.
v33 For the LORD hears what people need and he does not think bad things about his people in captivity.
v34 Let the skies and the earth praise him! And let the seas and everything that moves through them praise him!
v35 For God will make Zion safe. He will build again the cities of Judah. Then (his servants) will live there and it will be theirs.
v36 As for the children of his servants, it will stay their inheritance also. The people that love God’s name will always remain there.
Comments
What verses 30 - 36 mean
The ox and the bull in verse 31 were sacrifices. This means that they burnt them to bring pleasure to God. He told them to do this in the Book of Leviticus. But God wants us to thank and praise him more than giving him sacrifices. The only sacrifice Christians have is Jesus. That happened when people crucified (killed) him. When Christians thank and praise God, God gives them help. They become brave again when life is difficult, verse 32. Even people in prison because they love God and Jesus may become brave again, verse 33. Some Bible students think that verses 35-36 came later than the first 34 verses. Someone wrote them after they came back to their land from Babylon, where they had been prisoners.
_o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
The Whipping Boy
Psalm 69:19-36
Psalm 69: Verses 19 - 22
v19 You (God) know that people insult me and say that I am a disgrace and make me ashamed.
v20 Insults have broken my heart. I feel helpless. I looked for sympathy, but there was none. I wanted someone to comfort me, but did not find anyone.
v21 But they put poison in my food
and they gave me vinegar to drink.
v22 I want (the food on) their table to be a trap (for them) and a trap for all their good friends!
Comments
What verses 19 - 22 mean
The insults (or bad things that people say about someone) in verse 19 have broken the heart of the psalmist in verse 20. This means that they have made him so sad that he wants to die. He looked for someone to listen to him and give him some help, but nobody did. Rather, they gave him a poison called gall and vinegar to drink. This is where we have some imprecations. They are in verses 22 - 29. Look later for what imprecations are. Here, the idea of his enemies giving him poison makes him want them to eat poison! So he says in verse 22 that he wants their food (on their table) to trap them and their friends. The poison that they gave him in verse 21 was gall. It had a bad taste, the opposite of sweet. Maybe it came from a plant, or a snake. Matthew 27:34 says that they gave Jesus vinegar and gall to drink just before they crucified (killed) him. But he did not drink it. Mark 15:23 says there was myrrh in the vinegar, which would make the pain less.
Psalm 69: Verses 23 - 29
v23 I want their eyes to be in the dark so that they cannot see. I want their bodies to bend over always,
v24 (because) you are so angry with them. Pour out your anger on them!
v25 I want the places where they stay to be empty and nobody to be in their tents.
v26 For they persecute the people that you (God) hurt and talk about (more) pain for the people that you punish.
v27 Make a note of all their sins and do not let them have your righteousness.
v28 Take their names out of the book of life. Take them off the list of righteous people.
v29 But I have pain (in my body) and trouble (in my mind). God, protect me and make me safe.
Comments
What verses 23 - 29 mean
By verse 25, they are not in their towns but in Sheol where no one can see them. Verses 27 - 28 are the worst imprecations we could ask! Not only does the psalmist ask that his enemies die and go to Sheol (verse 23). He asks more! He asks that God will not make them righteous and that he will take away their names from the book of life. To Christians, this means that he is asking God never to let these enemies become Christians. Jesus said that we must pray for our enemies. He showed us what words to say, when his enemies killed him. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them". When God forgives us he makes us righteous and puts our names into his book of life. Look at Psalms of Imprecation for more.
Psalm 69: Verses 30 - 36
v30 I will praise God’s name with songs and I will say how great he is by giving thanks.
v31 This will bring more pleasure to the LORD than an ox or a bull with horns and hooves.
v32 Poor people will see it and be happy. People that are looking for God will have brave hearts again.
v33 For the LORD hears what people need and he does not think bad things about his people in captivity.
v34 Let the skies and the earth praise him! And let the seas and everything that moves through them praise him!
v35 For God will make Zion safe. He will build again the cities of Judah. Then (his servants) will live there and it will be theirs.
v36 As for the children of his servants, it will stay their inheritance also. The people that love God’s name will always remain there.
Comments
What verses 30 - 36 mean
The ox and the bull in verse 31 were sacrifices. This means that they burnt them to bring pleasure to God. He told them to do this in the Book of Leviticus. But God wants us to thank and praise him more than giving him sacrifices. The only sacrifice Christians have is Jesus. That happened when people crucified (killed) him. When Christians thank and praise God, God gives them help. They become brave again when life is difficult, verse 32. Even people in prison because they love God and Jesus may become brave again, verse 33. Some Bible students think that verses 35-36 came later than the first 34 verses. Someone wrote them after they came back to their land from Babylon, where they had been prisoners.
_o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 69 Part 2
Go and teach all nations
The Whipping Boy
Psalm 69:1-18
Psalm 69: Verses 1 - 4
(This is) for the music leader. Use (the music that they call) "Lilies". (It is) for David.
v1 Save me, God! Because the waters have come to (take) my life.
v2 I am going down into deep mud and there is nowhere to put my feet. I have come into deep waters and floods rush over me.
v3 I have shouted so much for help that I am weak. My mouth is hot and dry. My eyes hurt from looking for God.
v4 More people hate me than (I have) hairs on my head. They have no reason to be my enemies. Many people try to destroy me with their lies. They made me give back something that I did not rob them of.
Comments
What Verses 1 - 4 mean
In verses 1 - 3 the psalmist (maybe David or Jeremiah) gives us a picture. It is of a man drowning. He shouts to God, "Save me". He wants God to pull him out of the water. In verse 4 he tells us that the water is a picture of his enemies. His enemies are trying to destroy him just like the water tried to drown the man in the picture. He tells us two other things:
• there is no reason for them to try to kill him
• they made him give back something they say he took.
We do not know what this was. The psalmist says that he did not take it from them.
Psalm 69: Verses 5 - 12
v5 You, God, know that I am a fool. I cannot hide my sin from you.
v6 Master, do not let the people that put their hope in you be ashamed because of me. You are the LORD of the armies (of heaven). Do not let the people that follow you be ashamed because of me. You are the God of Israel.
v7 Because I love you people say bad things about me. They make me feel ashamed.
v8 I have become a stranger to my brothers and my own mother’s sons do not know me.
v9 I am angry for your house and it burns me up inside. People insult you, but they do it by insulting me!
v10 When I cry and eat no food people still insult me.
v11 When I wear clothes made from sacks people laugh at me.
v12 People that sit by the gate talk about me and people that are drunks sing songs about me.
Comments
What verses 5 - 12 mean
In verses 5 - 6 the psalmist says that he has sinned, or broken God’s rules. He asks that other people will not get hurt because of this. The armies (of heaven) are, maybe, angels not people. Heaven is where God lives and angels live there with him.
In verses 7 - 9 enemies of God want to say bad things to him. But they cannot see God. So they do and say bad things to God’s servants instead! In verses 22 - 29 the psalmist says what he wants God to do to these enemies.
In verse 10 we call "eating no food" fasting. They thought that it made God answer their prayers. In verse 11 people wore clothes made from sacks ("sackcloth") when they wanted to say "sorry" to God. In verse 12 the leaders of the people sat by the gate of their town. It was the place where they decided what to do.
Psalm 69: Verses 13 - 18
v13 But me ... I am praying to you, LORD, (at a) time when you will hear me. God, because you have so much kind love, answer me and make me really safe.
v14 Take me out of the mud and do not let me fall into it any more. Save me from the people that hate me and from the very deep waters.
v15 Do not let:
• floods of waters pour over me
• the deep seas drown me
• the pit close its mouth round me.
v16 Answer me, LORD, because your kind love is (so) good. Turn to me because you have so much mercy.
v17 And do not hide your face from your servant. Because of my trouble, answer me very soon.
v18 Come near to my soul and make it safe. Buy it back because of my enemies.
Comments
What verses 13 - 18 mean
The psalmist repeats some of what he said in verses 1 - 4. In verse 13 "the time when you will hear me" maybe is a special meeting of God’s people. "Any more" in verse 14 means that he does not want a bigger lot of mud over him. In verse 15 the pit was a special place. The Jews thought that when they died they went to a place under the ground called Sheol. In one corner of Sheol was a pit, or deep hole. Very bad people went there and never came out again! That is why the psalmist talks about his soul in verse 18. He is thinking about the part of him that will live when his body dies. He does not want it to live in Sheol and its pit. It is difficult to say who God will buy his soul back from at the end of the verse. Maybe he means Sheol. Christians say that Jesus bought our souls back from hell and that the enemy was the devil. The psalmist did not know this.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
The Whipping Boy
Psalm 69:1-18
Psalm 69: Verses 1 - 4
(This is) for the music leader. Use (the music that they call) "Lilies". (It is) for David.
v1 Save me, God! Because the waters have come to (take) my life.
v2 I am going down into deep mud and there is nowhere to put my feet. I have come into deep waters and floods rush over me.
v3 I have shouted so much for help that I am weak. My mouth is hot and dry. My eyes hurt from looking for God.
v4 More people hate me than (I have) hairs on my head. They have no reason to be my enemies. Many people try to destroy me with their lies. They made me give back something that I did not rob them of.
Comments
What Verses 1 - 4 mean
In verses 1 - 3 the psalmist (maybe David or Jeremiah) gives us a picture. It is of a man drowning. He shouts to God, "Save me". He wants God to pull him out of the water. In verse 4 he tells us that the water is a picture of his enemies. His enemies are trying to destroy him just like the water tried to drown the man in the picture. He tells us two other things:
• there is no reason for them to try to kill him
• they made him give back something they say he took.
We do not know what this was. The psalmist says that he did not take it from them.
Psalm 69: Verses 5 - 12
v5 You, God, know that I am a fool. I cannot hide my sin from you.
v6 Master, do not let the people that put their hope in you be ashamed because of me. You are the LORD of the armies (of heaven). Do not let the people that follow you be ashamed because of me. You are the God of Israel.
v7 Because I love you people say bad things about me. They make me feel ashamed.
v8 I have become a stranger to my brothers and my own mother’s sons do not know me.
v9 I am angry for your house and it burns me up inside. People insult you, but they do it by insulting me!
v10 When I cry and eat no food people still insult me.
v11 When I wear clothes made from sacks people laugh at me.
v12 People that sit by the gate talk about me and people that are drunks sing songs about me.
Comments
What verses 5 - 12 mean
In verses 5 - 6 the psalmist says that he has sinned, or broken God’s rules. He asks that other people will not get hurt because of this. The armies (of heaven) are, maybe, angels not people. Heaven is where God lives and angels live there with him.
In verses 7 - 9 enemies of God want to say bad things to him. But they cannot see God. So they do and say bad things to God’s servants instead! In verses 22 - 29 the psalmist says what he wants God to do to these enemies.
In verse 10 we call "eating no food" fasting. They thought that it made God answer their prayers. In verse 11 people wore clothes made from sacks ("sackcloth") when they wanted to say "sorry" to God. In verse 12 the leaders of the people sat by the gate of their town. It was the place where they decided what to do.
Psalm 69: Verses 13 - 18
v13 But me ... I am praying to you, LORD, (at a) time when you will hear me. God, because you have so much kind love, answer me and make me really safe.
v14 Take me out of the mud and do not let me fall into it any more. Save me from the people that hate me and from the very deep waters.
v15 Do not let:
• floods of waters pour over me
• the deep seas drown me
• the pit close its mouth round me.
v16 Answer me, LORD, because your kind love is (so) good. Turn to me because you have so much mercy.
v17 And do not hide your face from your servant. Because of my trouble, answer me very soon.
v18 Come near to my soul and make it safe. Buy it back because of my enemies.
Comments
What verses 13 - 18 mean
The psalmist repeats some of what he said in verses 1 - 4. In verse 13 "the time when you will hear me" maybe is a special meeting of God’s people. "Any more" in verse 14 means that he does not want a bigger lot of mud over him. In verse 15 the pit was a special place. The Jews thought that when they died they went to a place under the ground called Sheol. In one corner of Sheol was a pit, or deep hole. Very bad people went there and never came out again! That is why the psalmist talks about his soul in verse 18. He is thinking about the part of him that will live when his body dies. He does not want it to live in Sheol and its pit. It is difficult to say who God will buy his soul back from at the end of the verse. Maybe he means Sheol. Christians say that Jesus bought our souls back from hell and that the enemy was the devil. The psalmist did not know this.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 69 Part 1
Go and teach all nations
The Whipping Boy
Psalm 69
Jesus came to his own country, and his own people did not receive him. (John 1:11)
The Story of Psalm 69
We do not know if David wrote this psalm. Some Bible students think that Jeremiah wrote it. Jeremiah was a prophet that lived 400 years after David. Jeremiah told people what he thought God was saying to them. They did not like it. They hurt Jeremiah but there was no reason to hurt him. What he said was true. Maybe David did write the psalm and Jeremiah wrote some more verses for it. Both David and Jeremiah had enemies.
At the top it says:
• use lilies. Lilies are beautiful flowers. Maybe it is the name of beautiful music also.
• for David. Maybe this means "for the set of psalms that David started". We call the psalms "The Psalms of David" today, when we know that he did not write them all.
Our name for the psalm is The Whipping Boy. What does this mean? The son of a king is a prince. Princes had teachers. When the prince made a mistake, the teacher did not hit (or whip) the prince, but he hit a boy that had lessons with the prince. The boy had done nothing wrong, but the teacher whipped him. He was a whipping boy, someone for the teacher to whip, hit or beat instead of the prince. Today, a whipping boy is anyone that is hurt when someone else has done wrong!
They often hurt David and Jeremiah when they had done nothing wrong. They were both "whipping boys". But the most important "whipping boy" of all was Jesus. They hurt him and killed him when he had done nothing wrong. Everybody that has ever lived has done wrong, and God should punish us all. Punish means "hurt someone for doing wrong". But God punished Jesus for what we did wrong. In Psalm 69 are several things that happened to Jesus, as well as to David or Jeremiah. The psalm is not only about Jesus, but it makes Christians think about Jesus. That is why many Christians sing it on Good Friday, the day when we remember Jesus’ death.
_o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
The Whipping Boy
Psalm 69
Jesus came to his own country, and his own people did not receive him. (John 1:11)
The Story of Psalm 69
We do not know if David wrote this psalm. Some Bible students think that Jeremiah wrote it. Jeremiah was a prophet that lived 400 years after David. Jeremiah told people what he thought God was saying to them. They did not like it. They hurt Jeremiah but there was no reason to hurt him. What he said was true. Maybe David did write the psalm and Jeremiah wrote some more verses for it. Both David and Jeremiah had enemies.
At the top it says:
• use lilies. Lilies are beautiful flowers. Maybe it is the name of beautiful music also.
• for David. Maybe this means "for the set of psalms that David started". We call the psalms "The Psalms of David" today, when we know that he did not write them all.
Our name for the psalm is The Whipping Boy. What does this mean? The son of a king is a prince. Princes had teachers. When the prince made a mistake, the teacher did not hit (or whip) the prince, but he hit a boy that had lessons with the prince. The boy had done nothing wrong, but the teacher whipped him. He was a whipping boy, someone for the teacher to whip, hit or beat instead of the prince. Today, a whipping boy is anyone that is hurt when someone else has done wrong!
They often hurt David and Jeremiah when they had done nothing wrong. They were both "whipping boys". But the most important "whipping boy" of all was Jesus. They hurt him and killed him when he had done nothing wrong. Everybody that has ever lived has done wrong, and God should punish us all. Punish means "hurt someone for doing wrong". But God punished Jesus for what we did wrong. In Psalm 69 are several things that happened to Jesus, as well as to David or Jeremiah. The psalm is not only about Jesus, but it makes Christians think about Jesus. That is why many Christians sing it on Good Friday, the day when we remember Jesus’ death.
_o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Friday, May 12, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 68
Go and teach all nations
Cloud Rider: A Song for the Nation
Psalm 68
Jesus said, "You will see the Son of man sitting to the right of God. And he will come on the clouds in the sky". (Matthew 26:64)
Psalm 68
(This is) for the music leader. (It is) a psalm of David, a song.
v1 God will rise up and his enemies will move away in all directions. The people that hate him will quickly ride away from him.
v2 (God), blow them away as you would blow smoke away. As butter becomes oil in a fire, when the godless see the face of God it will destroy them.
v3 But the righteous will be happy. They will rejoice when they see the face of God. They will shout because they are so happy!
v4 Sing to God, sing psalms to his name. Praise the One that Rides on the Clouds. His name is the LORD! Shout for joy in front of him.
v5 God is the father of those that have no father. He gives help to women whose husbands have died. (He does this) from the holy place where he lives.
v6 God gives a home to lonely people. He leads people out of prison (and they hear) music. But people that do not obey (God) will continue to live in a land where the hot sun burns the ground.
v7 God, you went out in front of your people. You marched through the wilderness. SELAH
v8 The ground moved, the skies dropped (rain) when God came to Sinai. God is the God of Israel.
v9 God, you gave plenty of rain. It made your Promised Land fresh again when it was dry.
v10 Your people came to live in it. God, you gave good things to the poor people that needed them. You made them strong.
v11 The Lord gave a message and a large number of women passed on the good news.
v12 Kings of huge armies ran away. They fled! The women at home decided who should have what their soldiers brought from the war.
v13 Even if you sleep where the sheep sleep, the dove will have wings of silver and feathers of gold!
v14 When Shaddai made (foreign) kings run away in different directions it was like snow on Mount Zalmon.
v15 The mountain called Bashan is a Mountain of God. The mountain called Bashan has many high hills.
v16 High mountains, why do you look at the mountain that God wants to live in? Why do you want him to live in you instead? This (mountain) is where the LORD (himself) will always stay.
v17 God has millions of chariots. The Lord came with them to his holy (mountain) Sinai.
v18 You went to the high (mountain). You took with you the prisoners that you had caught. You received gifts from men, the men that had fought against you. The LORD God will always live here.
v19 Say good things about the Lord! Every day he gives us help with what we have to carry. He is the God that saves us! SELAH
v20 Our God is the God who will make us free. The LORD our God will save us from death.
v21 But God will break the heads of his enemies. (He will break) the hairy heads of those people that will not stop doing wrong things.
v22 The Lord says, "I will bring (my enemies) back from Bashan. I will bring them back (even from) deep down in the sea.
v23 Then you can put your feet into their blood and even your dogs can drink some!"
v24 God, they will see your people walking together. They will see my God and my King leading his procession into the temple.
v25 The singers will go in front. The musicians will go behind them. All round them will be girls beating tambourines.
v26 "Say good things about God among all the people there! All you people of Israel, (praise) the LORD!"
v27 Benjamin, the youngest, will go first. The leaders of Judah will make a noise (praising God). (Then will come) the leaders of Zebulun and Naphtali.
v28 Your God sent the power (that gave you help). God, be powerful (again) as you did (in past times) for us,
v29 from your temple in Jerusalem. Kings will (then) bring gifts to you.
v30 Be angry with:
• the animals that live in the reeds
• the group of bulls among the calves of the nations. When they fall on their knees, they will bring to you pieces of silver. Make the people that find pleasure in war run away from you in all directions.
v31 The government of Egypt will send people and the people from Cush will lift up their hands to (praise) God.
v32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth! Sing psalms to the Lord! SELAH
v33 (Sing) to the One that Rides on the Clouds and on the heavens that have always been there! He is shouting with a powerful voice.
v34 Tell everyone about the powerful God that is the King of Israel. His power is in the skies.
v35 God, how great you are in your temple. He is the God of Israel. He gives power to his people and makes them strong. Say good things about God!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 68
The Philistines lived by the sea to the west of the Jews. David was the king of the Jews. The Philistines and the Jews were enemies. In one of their fights, the Philistines took away the Ark of God. The Ark was a special box made of wood. It was a metre long and half a metre high and half a metre wide. The Jews kept things in it that gave them help to remember their Covenant with God. In the Covenant they agreed to love, serve and obey God. He agreed to give them help at all times. People that kept the Covenant had a special name for God. It was Yahweh, which we translate LORD. (There is another word Lord that means master. It is Adonai in Hebrew, not Yahweh. Both names are in this psalm.)
Bad things happened to the Philistines when they took the Ark. So they sent it back to the Jews. For a long time, it was on a farm between Gath and Jerusalem. Gath was a Philistine city. Jerusalem did not belong to the Jews at this time, but David fought against it and won. He made it his capital city. Then he decided to take the Ark from where it was into Jerusalem. There was no temple in Jerusalem at that time, only a tent where people met God. A tent is a building made of animal skins and other materials, but not stones.
So somebody wrote Psalm 68. It may have been David, or someone else wrote it for David. Everybody sang it while the Ark came into Jerusalem. They also sang other psalms, like Psalm 24. The people all walked together in a procession. A procession is a number of people walking or marching together. They started where the Ark was, and took it to its new home in the tent in Jerusalem.
But Psalm 68 starts long before that. It starts in Egypt, and describes the Jews coming to their new land. Because God had promised it to them, we often call it the Promised Land. They went through Sinai, where they built the Ark. They fought against the people that lived in their new land. In the end they lived at peace, and brought the Ark into Jerusalem.
What Psalm 68 means
This is a long psalm, so we can study it most easily in 4 parts:
• verses 1 - 6 that tell us about God and what he does for people
• verses 7 - 18 that tell us about God leading his people from Egypt to the Promised Land
• verses 19 - 31 that tell us more about God and the procession
• verses 32 - 35 that tell us to praise God for what he has done.
Verses 1 – 6: In verse 1, "God will rise up" means that he will start to do something for his people. This will make his enemies and their enemies run away before (in verse 2) he destroys them. Verse 1 is repeated from Numbers 10:35, which is about moving the Ark of God. In verse 3, "the righteous" are God’s people. If you want to know more about the word "righteous" look after Psalm 5. "See the face of God" means that they see that God is doing something. In verse 4 we have another name for God: the One that Rides on the Clouds, or Cloud Rider! This was the name of a false god in the land before the Jews came. The psalm says that God the LORD is the real Cloud Rider, not the false god! In verses 5 and 6 we read about some of the good things that God does. These are really things that he has already done for the Jews! He has:
• taken them out from prison in Egypt
• heard their songs when they were free
• given them help when they needed it
• punished their enemies.
But he will always do this for his people, any time, anywhere!
Verses 7 – 18: You will see three SELAHs in this psalm. They are after the first verse of each of the last three parts. Bible students think that this is because people should stop, think, make music and pray before reading the other verses in each part. In verse 8 we read that God came to Sinai. There he gave his people the rules they were to obey. We call them the Ten Commandments. They made the Ark there. When they reached the Promised Land in verse 9 God sent rain to make their food plants grow. Verses 11 - 14 confuse many Bible students. They are very difficult to translate. This is because we do not know what some of the Hebrew words mean. It gives us help to read the Song of Deborah in Judges 5. This is because many Bible students think that verses 11 - 14 are about the fight that is in the Song of Deborah. The Greek translation of verse 11 says "many women preached the gospel". Verse 13 may mean this:
• "even if you sleep", that is, even if you do not come to fight
• "the dove will have wings of silver and feathers of gold", that is, the women will wear beautiful clothes.
In the Song of Deborah, some men did not come to fight; and the women of other tribes had beautiful things from the (dead) enemy. In verse 14 Zalmon means "Black Mountain". We are not sure where it is. The snow may be real snow, or the white bones of the dead enemy. Verses 15 - 18 tell of the end of the journey. It is in Jerusalem, on a mountain or hill called Zion. Higher mountains, like Bashan, think that God should live in them. But God chose to live in Zion. He will "always live here", (verse 18).
Verses 19 – 31: In verse 21 "the hairy heads" make us remember pictures of people from David’s time. They had very long hair. Nobody will run away from God. He will find them, even down in the deep sea! Verse 23 means that David’s people will beat their enemies. Verses 24 - 27 tell us more about the procession. It is now near Jerusalem. It is not the procession from Egypt that we read about in verses 7 - 18. "The King" in verse 24 is David. God is with him, but nobody can see God. In verse 25 "the musicians" are the people that make music in many ways. One of them is hitting tambourines, little drums with bells on them. Other women did this in the Bible, examples are:
• Moses’ sister Miriam after God took the Jews from Egypt (Exodus 15:20)
• Jephthah’s daughter after God beat the enemies of the Jews (Judges 11:34).
In verse 27 we hear of four tribes of Israel: Benjamin, Judah, Zebulun and Naphtali. There were 12 tribes (or large families), but there is only room in the psalm for 4. Benjamin is first because Jerusalem is in the part of the Promised Land where Benjamin lived. Judah is next because it is David’s tribe, and he is king. The other 10 tribes come next, but we only read about two of them. Verse 29 is an important verse. There is more about it in Isaiah 60. Some of the kings are in verse 30. "The animals that live in the reeds" might be crocodiles. These live in the River Nile, in Egypt. "Bulls among the calves" are "strong kings among weak kings". All these kings will bring gifts to God. They will kneel (or "fall on their knees") and give God metals of value, like silver. In verse 31 Cush may be Sudan.
Verses 32 – 35: The psalm ends by telling everyone to praise God. Again, he is the Cloud Rider. In verse 35 "your temple" is heaven, where God lives. It is not the tent (temple) in Jerusalem, as in verses 24 and 29.
Something to do
1. If you have a Bible, or can find the Book of Judges, read The Song of Deborah in Judges 5.
2. Look at Psalm 68:19. "Every day he gives us help with what we have to carry". The things that we carry (that we call burdens) are often inside us. It may be that we are sad, or do not know what to do next. Ask God for help to carry your own burden. If you have a Bible, read Isaiah 46:1-4, or 63:9. Both of these tell us that God will carry us as well as our burdens!
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Cloud Rider: A Song for the Nation
Psalm 68
Jesus said, "You will see the Son of man sitting to the right of God. And he will come on the clouds in the sky". (Matthew 26:64)
Psalm 68
(This is) for the music leader. (It is) a psalm of David, a song.
v1 God will rise up and his enemies will move away in all directions. The people that hate him will quickly ride away from him.
v2 (God), blow them away as you would blow smoke away. As butter becomes oil in a fire, when the godless see the face of God it will destroy them.
v3 But the righteous will be happy. They will rejoice when they see the face of God. They will shout because they are so happy!
v4 Sing to God, sing psalms to his name. Praise the One that Rides on the Clouds. His name is the LORD! Shout for joy in front of him.
v5 God is the father of those that have no father. He gives help to women whose husbands have died. (He does this) from the holy place where he lives.
v6 God gives a home to lonely people. He leads people out of prison (and they hear) music. But people that do not obey (God) will continue to live in a land where the hot sun burns the ground.
v7 God, you went out in front of your people. You marched through the wilderness. SELAH
v8 The ground moved, the skies dropped (rain) when God came to Sinai. God is the God of Israel.
v9 God, you gave plenty of rain. It made your Promised Land fresh again when it was dry.
v10 Your people came to live in it. God, you gave good things to the poor people that needed them. You made them strong.
v11 The Lord gave a message and a large number of women passed on the good news.
v12 Kings of huge armies ran away. They fled! The women at home decided who should have what their soldiers brought from the war.
v13 Even if you sleep where the sheep sleep, the dove will have wings of silver and feathers of gold!
v14 When Shaddai made (foreign) kings run away in different directions it was like snow on Mount Zalmon.
v15 The mountain called Bashan is a Mountain of God. The mountain called Bashan has many high hills.
v16 High mountains, why do you look at the mountain that God wants to live in? Why do you want him to live in you instead? This (mountain) is where the LORD (himself) will always stay.
v17 God has millions of chariots. The Lord came with them to his holy (mountain) Sinai.
v18 You went to the high (mountain). You took with you the prisoners that you had caught. You received gifts from men, the men that had fought against you. The LORD God will always live here.
v19 Say good things about the Lord! Every day he gives us help with what we have to carry. He is the God that saves us! SELAH
v20 Our God is the God who will make us free. The LORD our God will save us from death.
v21 But God will break the heads of his enemies. (He will break) the hairy heads of those people that will not stop doing wrong things.
v22 The Lord says, "I will bring (my enemies) back from Bashan. I will bring them back (even from) deep down in the sea.
v23 Then you can put your feet into their blood and even your dogs can drink some!"
v24 God, they will see your people walking together. They will see my God and my King leading his procession into the temple.
v25 The singers will go in front. The musicians will go behind them. All round them will be girls beating tambourines.
v26 "Say good things about God among all the people there! All you people of Israel, (praise) the LORD!"
v27 Benjamin, the youngest, will go first. The leaders of Judah will make a noise (praising God). (Then will come) the leaders of Zebulun and Naphtali.
v28 Your God sent the power (that gave you help). God, be powerful (again) as you did (in past times) for us,
v29 from your temple in Jerusalem. Kings will (then) bring gifts to you.
v30 Be angry with:
• the animals that live in the reeds
• the group of bulls among the calves of the nations. When they fall on their knees, they will bring to you pieces of silver. Make the people that find pleasure in war run away from you in all directions.
v31 The government of Egypt will send people and the people from Cush will lift up their hands to (praise) God.
v32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth! Sing psalms to the Lord! SELAH
v33 (Sing) to the One that Rides on the Clouds and on the heavens that have always been there! He is shouting with a powerful voice.
v34 Tell everyone about the powerful God that is the King of Israel. His power is in the skies.
v35 God, how great you are in your temple. He is the God of Israel. He gives power to his people and makes them strong. Say good things about God!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 68
The Philistines lived by the sea to the west of the Jews. David was the king of the Jews. The Philistines and the Jews were enemies. In one of their fights, the Philistines took away the Ark of God. The Ark was a special box made of wood. It was a metre long and half a metre high and half a metre wide. The Jews kept things in it that gave them help to remember their Covenant with God. In the Covenant they agreed to love, serve and obey God. He agreed to give them help at all times. People that kept the Covenant had a special name for God. It was Yahweh, which we translate LORD. (There is another word Lord that means master. It is Adonai in Hebrew, not Yahweh. Both names are in this psalm.)
Bad things happened to the Philistines when they took the Ark. So they sent it back to the Jews. For a long time, it was on a farm between Gath and Jerusalem. Gath was a Philistine city. Jerusalem did not belong to the Jews at this time, but David fought against it and won. He made it his capital city. Then he decided to take the Ark from where it was into Jerusalem. There was no temple in Jerusalem at that time, only a tent where people met God. A tent is a building made of animal skins and other materials, but not stones.
So somebody wrote Psalm 68. It may have been David, or someone else wrote it for David. Everybody sang it while the Ark came into Jerusalem. They also sang other psalms, like Psalm 24. The people all walked together in a procession. A procession is a number of people walking or marching together. They started where the Ark was, and took it to its new home in the tent in Jerusalem.
But Psalm 68 starts long before that. It starts in Egypt, and describes the Jews coming to their new land. Because God had promised it to them, we often call it the Promised Land. They went through Sinai, where they built the Ark. They fought against the people that lived in their new land. In the end they lived at peace, and brought the Ark into Jerusalem.
What Psalm 68 means
This is a long psalm, so we can study it most easily in 4 parts:
• verses 1 - 6 that tell us about God and what he does for people
• verses 7 - 18 that tell us about God leading his people from Egypt to the Promised Land
• verses 19 - 31 that tell us more about God and the procession
• verses 32 - 35 that tell us to praise God for what he has done.
Verses 1 – 6: In verse 1, "God will rise up" means that he will start to do something for his people. This will make his enemies and their enemies run away before (in verse 2) he destroys them. Verse 1 is repeated from Numbers 10:35, which is about moving the Ark of God. In verse 3, "the righteous" are God’s people. If you want to know more about the word "righteous" look after Psalm 5. "See the face of God" means that they see that God is doing something. In verse 4 we have another name for God: the One that Rides on the Clouds, or Cloud Rider! This was the name of a false god in the land before the Jews came. The psalm says that God the LORD is the real Cloud Rider, not the false god! In verses 5 and 6 we read about some of the good things that God does. These are really things that he has already done for the Jews! He has:
• taken them out from prison in Egypt
• heard their songs when they were free
• given them help when they needed it
• punished their enemies.
But he will always do this for his people, any time, anywhere!
Verses 7 – 18: You will see three SELAHs in this psalm. They are after the first verse of each of the last three parts. Bible students think that this is because people should stop, think, make music and pray before reading the other verses in each part. In verse 8 we read that God came to Sinai. There he gave his people the rules they were to obey. We call them the Ten Commandments. They made the Ark there. When they reached the Promised Land in verse 9 God sent rain to make their food plants grow. Verses 11 - 14 confuse many Bible students. They are very difficult to translate. This is because we do not know what some of the Hebrew words mean. It gives us help to read the Song of Deborah in Judges 5. This is because many Bible students think that verses 11 - 14 are about the fight that is in the Song of Deborah. The Greek translation of verse 11 says "many women preached the gospel". Verse 13 may mean this:
• "even if you sleep", that is, even if you do not come to fight
• "the dove will have wings of silver and feathers of gold", that is, the women will wear beautiful clothes.
In the Song of Deborah, some men did not come to fight; and the women of other tribes had beautiful things from the (dead) enemy. In verse 14 Zalmon means "Black Mountain". We are not sure where it is. The snow may be real snow, or the white bones of the dead enemy. Verses 15 - 18 tell of the end of the journey. It is in Jerusalem, on a mountain or hill called Zion. Higher mountains, like Bashan, think that God should live in them. But God chose to live in Zion. He will "always live here", (verse 18).
Verses 19 – 31: In verse 21 "the hairy heads" make us remember pictures of people from David’s time. They had very long hair. Nobody will run away from God. He will find them, even down in the deep sea! Verse 23 means that David’s people will beat their enemies. Verses 24 - 27 tell us more about the procession. It is now near Jerusalem. It is not the procession from Egypt that we read about in verses 7 - 18. "The King" in verse 24 is David. God is with him, but nobody can see God. In verse 25 "the musicians" are the people that make music in many ways. One of them is hitting tambourines, little drums with bells on them. Other women did this in the Bible, examples are:
• Moses’ sister Miriam after God took the Jews from Egypt (Exodus 15:20)
• Jephthah’s daughter after God beat the enemies of the Jews (Judges 11:34).
In verse 27 we hear of four tribes of Israel: Benjamin, Judah, Zebulun and Naphtali. There were 12 tribes (or large families), but there is only room in the psalm for 4. Benjamin is first because Jerusalem is in the part of the Promised Land where Benjamin lived. Judah is next because it is David’s tribe, and he is king. The other 10 tribes come next, but we only read about two of them. Verse 29 is an important verse. There is more about it in Isaiah 60. Some of the kings are in verse 30. "The animals that live in the reeds" might be crocodiles. These live in the River Nile, in Egypt. "Bulls among the calves" are "strong kings among weak kings". All these kings will bring gifts to God. They will kneel (or "fall on their knees") and give God metals of value, like silver. In verse 31 Cush may be Sudan.
Verses 32 – 35: The psalm ends by telling everyone to praise God. Again, he is the Cloud Rider. In verse 35 "your temple" is heaven, where God lives. It is not the tent (temple) in Jerusalem, as in verses 24 and 29.
Something to do
1. If you have a Bible, or can find the Book of Judges, read The Song of Deborah in Judges 5.
2. Look at Psalm 68:19. "Every day he gives us help with what we have to carry". The things that we carry (that we call burdens) are often inside us. It may be that we are sad, or do not know what to do next. Ask God for help to carry your own burden. If you have a Bible, read Isaiah 46:1-4, or 63:9. Both of these tell us that God will carry us as well as our burdens!
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 67
Go and teach all nations
The Whole Wide World for Jesus
Psalm 67
Jesus said, "Look at the fields. They are ready for the harvest". (John 4:35)
Psalm 67
(This is) for the music leader. (He is) to use stringed instruments. (It is) a psalm (and) a song.
v1 God, be gracious to us and bless us. Make your face to shine on us. SELAH
v2 Then people will know the things that you do on the earth. People from every nation will know that you can save them.
v3 So people everywhere will say how great you are, God. People everywhere will say how great you are.
v4 The nations will be so very happy that they will sing aloud for joy! Because you make fair decisions about everybody, then you will be a guide to everyone on the earth. SELAH
v5 People everywhere will say how great your are, God. People everywhere will say how great you are.
v6 The ground has given us its harvest and God, our God, will continue to bless us.
v7 God - bless us! Then everyone that lives on the earth will be afraid of you.
Comments
Gracious, bless, shine, way, save, people, nation/s, joy, harvest and awe are all special words in this psalm. "What Psalm 67 means" explains them.
The Story of Psalm 67
Bible students do not know who wrote this psalm, or when. It uses two ideas from the Old Testament, one is from the Book of Numbers. The other is from the Book of Genesis. Here is Numbers 6:24-26. They are words that God spoke to Moses, for Moses to tell the people. LORD is a special name for God. People that agreed to love and obey him used it.
Numbers 6:24-26
v24 The LORD bless you and keep you.
v25 The LORD make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you.
v26 The LORD lift up his face on you, and give you peace.
Who does God (and Moses) mean by "you" in these verses from Numbers? In the beginning, it was the Israelites, the people that Moses led from Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel. But if we read Genesis 12:3 we find that God said to Abram (who became Abraham), "Because of you I will bless all the families on the earth". This means everybody!
So Christians believe that in Psalm 67 God is saying this. "When people see the good things that I have done for my people, they will become my servants too!"
What Psalm 67 means
Before verse 1 it says that the music leader must use stringed instruments. These are to make music. A psalm is a song with music from instruments as well as voices.
Verse 1: There are three words or groups of words in this verse that are very important. They are:
• Be gracious: this means "be kind when you do not have to be kind". God should punish (hurt) us because we do not obey his rules (sin). Because he is gracious, he does not do this. He gives us time to say that we are sorry. If we do this, then he forgives us. This means that he gives our sin to Jesus. When Jesus died on Calvary, he took our sin away. God punished Jesus for our sin. God will not punish us if we ask him to forgive us. Jesus never did anything wrong. He was not a sinner. But God punished him for our sin.
• Bless us: this means "give good things to us". In the Old Testament, the things are "*harvest things". When you plant a seed, it grows into something. A seed in a woman grows into a baby. The right sort of seed in the ground grows into something that you can eat. When God blesses someone, it means that they have a lot of children and plenty to eat. The fruits that grow in the ground we call the "harvest". So, this verse asks God to give us children and food … and plenty of other things also!
• Make your face to shine: this means the same as "be gracious and bless". It is an example of Hebrew poetry. The two parts of the verse mean the same. When God is angry he looks away from us. When he is not angry he looks towards us. He is happy and his face shines! Maybe it means that God has a big smile on his face!!
Verse 2: If the "us" in verse 1 means the Israelites, verse 2 means that when God blesses the Israelites, then the whole world will know about God. It will also know that he can save them too. "Save" here means "make safe while we live on this earth, and after we die".
Verse 3: This verse is a "refrain" or "chorus". It comes again in verse 5, and in a different way in verse 7.
Verse 4: Again we find the idea that we found in verse 2. If people see that God is good to the Israelites, then he will be good to everyone! "People" in this verse probably means "God’s people, the Israelites". "The nations" are people from other countries that are not Israelites. The word "joy" means what you feel deep inside you when you are very happy.
Verse 5: This repeats verse 3. We call this kind of repeat in a song a "refrain" or "chorus". Christian songs often have choruses.
Verse 6: In Hebrew poetry, the two parts of a verse often mean the same. Here is another good example. Remember, there was one in verse 1. "Bless" means "Give a harvest" - either children, or fruit, or many other things.
Verse 7: God does many things that show that he is very powerful. This makes many people afraid. If people love God, they are not afraid in a bad way, but in a good way. We call this being "in awe" of God. Awe is a good sort of fear! Fear is another word for "being afraid".
Something to do
Ask God to forgive you. Then tell other people what a great God he is. And do not forget ... Jesus is another name for God!
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
The Whole Wide World for Jesus
Psalm 67
Jesus said, "Look at the fields. They are ready for the harvest". (John 4:35)
Psalm 67
(This is) for the music leader. (He is) to use stringed instruments. (It is) a psalm (and) a song.
v1 God, be gracious to us and bless us. Make your face to shine on us. SELAH
v2 Then people will know the things that you do on the earth. People from every nation will know that you can save them.
v3 So people everywhere will say how great you are, God. People everywhere will say how great you are.
v4 The nations will be so very happy that they will sing aloud for joy! Because you make fair decisions about everybody, then you will be a guide to everyone on the earth. SELAH
v5 People everywhere will say how great your are, God. People everywhere will say how great you are.
v6 The ground has given us its harvest and God, our God, will continue to bless us.
v7 God - bless us! Then everyone that lives on the earth will be afraid of you.
Comments
Gracious, bless, shine, way, save, people, nation/s, joy, harvest and awe are all special words in this psalm. "What Psalm 67 means" explains them.
The Story of Psalm 67
Bible students do not know who wrote this psalm, or when. It uses two ideas from the Old Testament, one is from the Book of Numbers. The other is from the Book of Genesis. Here is Numbers 6:24-26. They are words that God spoke to Moses, for Moses to tell the people. LORD is a special name for God. People that agreed to love and obey him used it.
Numbers 6:24-26
v24 The LORD bless you and keep you.
v25 The LORD make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you.
v26 The LORD lift up his face on you, and give you peace.
Who does God (and Moses) mean by "you" in these verses from Numbers? In the beginning, it was the Israelites, the people that Moses led from Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel. But if we read Genesis 12:3 we find that God said to Abram (who became Abraham), "Because of you I will bless all the families on the earth". This means everybody!
So Christians believe that in Psalm 67 God is saying this. "When people see the good things that I have done for my people, they will become my servants too!"
What Psalm 67 means
Before verse 1 it says that the music leader must use stringed instruments. These are to make music. A psalm is a song with music from instruments as well as voices.
Verse 1: There are three words or groups of words in this verse that are very important. They are:
• Be gracious: this means "be kind when you do not have to be kind". God should punish (hurt) us because we do not obey his rules (sin). Because he is gracious, he does not do this. He gives us time to say that we are sorry. If we do this, then he forgives us. This means that he gives our sin to Jesus. When Jesus died on Calvary, he took our sin away. God punished Jesus for our sin. God will not punish us if we ask him to forgive us. Jesus never did anything wrong. He was not a sinner. But God punished him for our sin.
• Bless us: this means "give good things to us". In the Old Testament, the things are "*harvest things". When you plant a seed, it grows into something. A seed in a woman grows into a baby. The right sort of seed in the ground grows into something that you can eat. When God blesses someone, it means that they have a lot of children and plenty to eat. The fruits that grow in the ground we call the "harvest". So, this verse asks God to give us children and food … and plenty of other things also!
• Make your face to shine: this means the same as "be gracious and bless". It is an example of Hebrew poetry. The two parts of the verse mean the same. When God is angry he looks away from us. When he is not angry he looks towards us. He is happy and his face shines! Maybe it means that God has a big smile on his face!!
Verse 2: If the "us" in verse 1 means the Israelites, verse 2 means that when God blesses the Israelites, then the whole world will know about God. It will also know that he can save them too. "Save" here means "make safe while we live on this earth, and after we die".
Verse 3: This verse is a "refrain" or "chorus". It comes again in verse 5, and in a different way in verse 7.
Verse 4: Again we find the idea that we found in verse 2. If people see that God is good to the Israelites, then he will be good to everyone! "People" in this verse probably means "God’s people, the Israelites". "The nations" are people from other countries that are not Israelites. The word "joy" means what you feel deep inside you when you are very happy.
Verse 5: This repeats verse 3. We call this kind of repeat in a song a "refrain" or "chorus". Christian songs often have choruses.
Verse 6: In Hebrew poetry, the two parts of a verse often mean the same. Here is another good example. Remember, there was one in verse 1. "Bless" means "Give a harvest" - either children, or fruit, or many other things.
Verse 7: God does many things that show that he is very powerful. This makes many people afraid. If people love God, they are not afraid in a bad way, but in a good way. We call this being "in awe" of God. Awe is a good sort of fear! Fear is another word for "being afraid".
Something to do
Ask God to forgive you. Then tell other people what a great God he is. And do not forget ... Jesus is another name for God!
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 66
Go and teach all nations
Home and Away
Psalm 66
Jesus said, "They will come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south. They will sit down in the kingdom of God". (Luke 13:29)
Psalm 66
(This is) for the music leader. (It is) a song (and) a psalm.
v1 Shout aloud to God because you are happy, everyone on earth!
v2 Sing to the glory of his name! Make the sound of his praises beautiful!
v3 Say to God, "The things that you do (sometimes) frighten people.
You are so powerful and strong that your enemies are afraid of you.
v4 The whole world will get on its knees in front of you. It will sing your praise; it will praise your name in song". SELAH
v5 Come and see the things that God has done. The things that he did for people frightened many of them.
v6 He made the sea into dry land. The people walked across the river (Jordan) on their feet! So, we must praise him!
v7 He is so powerful that he will rule for ever. His eyes are always watching the nations. Nobody should fight against him. SELAH
v8 Say good things about God, you people. Let everybody hear the sound of (people) praising him.
v9 He is a God that keeps us alive. He does not let our feet slip.
v10 Really, God, you have tested us. You have made us pure as they make silver pure.
v11 You brought us into a prison and made people beat our backs.
v12 But you sent a man to lead us. We went through fire and water, but you brought us into a place where there was plenty.
v13 I will bring gifts to burn to you in your house. I will keep the promises that I made to you.
v14 When I was in trouble my lips made a promise. I said it out aloud.
v15 The gifts that I will offer to you will be fat animals. You will smell the rams when they burn. I will also offer to you bulls and goats. SELAH
v16 Come and listen, all you people that are afraid of God. I will tell you some of the things that he has done for me.
v17 I cried aloud to him, then I praised him!
v18 If I was thinking bad things in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.
v19 But God did hear me. He listened to my voice while I prayed.
v20 I will say good things about God. He has not been deaf to my voice. He has shown me his kind love.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 66
Every year the Jews have a Passover. They have done it now for nearly 3 500 years. In it, they remember that God took them from Egypt to the Promised Land. They called the Promised Land "Israel". This Psalm is about a special Passover. Many Bible students think that it is the one after God saved them from the Assyrians. This was about 2700 years ago. Their king at that time was Hezekiah.
What Psalm 66 means
The psalm is in two parts:
• Verses 1 – 12: All the people are speaking.
In this part, there are three smaller parts:
1) Verses 1 - 4: the psalm tells all the world to praise God
2) Verses 5 - 7: the psalm tells people to think about God’s power
3) Verses 8 - 12: the psalm here is about God saving his people.
• Verses 13 – 20: Only the leader is speaking, maybe King Hezekiah.
In this part, there are two smaller parts:
1) Verses 13 - 15: the leader (Hezekiah?) keeps his promise
2) Verses 16 - 20: he asks all that are afraid of God to hear him.
"(It is) a song (and) a psalm" means that there are words (song) and music (psalm). But there is no music in verse 1. This Psalm tells people to shout to God. (So does Psalm 100.) They do this in England when they have a new king or queen. All the people in the church at the time shout "God save the king (or queen)". But in verse 2 there is music, and it must sound beautiful! In verse 4 "get on its knees" in the Hebrew Bible is "bow down". This means bend down. It means that you show that the person you are bending in front of is greater than you are.
"The things that God has done" in verse 5 were when he led his people from Egypt to the Promised Land. He made the Red Sea dry in front of them as they came out of Egypt (Exodus 14). He also made the River Jordan dry in front of them as they went in to the Promised Land (Joshua 3). Both of these are in verse 6. Study the words "the people" (verse 6) and "the nations" (verse 7). As in many of the psalms, "the people" are the Jews and "the nations" are the rest of the world.
In verses 8 and 20 "say good things" we can also translate "bless". Bless is a special word which means that God will make good things happen to you. In the Old Testament this means things that grow. When God blessed someone then:
• they had healthy children
• their animals had many baby animals
• the food plants grew very well.
When we bless God the word does not mean the same. It means "say good things about him, praise him, tell him that he is wonderful". Verses 9-12 are about what God has just done for his people. It is not about saving them from Egypt. If Bible students are correct and the king is Hezekiah, then God has just saved them from Assyria. He kept them alive when they thought that the Assyrians would kill them. Their feet did not slip, so that they did not fall down in front of their enemy. It was difficult, but God was testing them. It burned a lot of the bad out of them, as metal-workers burn dirt out of silver when they refine it (or make it pure). The Assyrian army was all round Jerusalem, so the Jews could not get out. They felt as if they were in prison. They felt as if the prison keepers beat their backs with whips. But God sent them a good leader, King Hezekiah, with the prophet Isaiah to give him help. They went through fire and water. This is a Jewish and English way to say "they went through very great trouble and difficulty". But God brought them to a place where there was plenty! God blessed them again with children, lots of animals and plenty of food. They could say "My cup is so full that it overflowed", (Psalm 23:5). That word "overflowed" is the same word in the Hebrew Bible as "there was plenty" in Psalm 66:12!
Now the speaker changes. Only one person is speaking, maybe Hezekiah. When he and his people were in trouble, he made God a promise aloud, so that other people heard it (verse 14). He does not say what the promise was, but in verses 13 and 15 he says that he will keep the promise. He says that he will sacrifice to God fat animals, like rams (male sheep), bulls (male cows) and goats (an animal like a sheep). There are different sacrifices in the Old Testament. The people ate some sacrifices, but others they burned and did not eat. They thought that God would smell the animals they were burning and that it would make God happy. Bible students think that this was a sacrifice that they burned, at Passover time.
The psalm finishes with the King (or other leader) telling the people about the things that God had done for him. If it was saving the people from the Assyrians, then he is speaking for all of them! In verse 17, maybe it means "I prayed for help when the Assyrians came, but I knew I would praise God if he answered me". Verse 18 is important. When we pray to God, we must want good things to happen not bad things. The "kind love" in verse 20 is a special Bible word in Hebrew. It means that God will love people even if they are not good people. He will do this if they ask him to and obey him after he does!
Something to do
1. If you have a Bible, read Isaiah 37. If you do not have a Bible, read Psalms 46, 47 and 48 in this set of psalms.
2. When you are in trouble, pray to God about it. When he answers you, tell other people about it.
3. If you know any Jewish people, ask them about the Passover.__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Home and Away
Psalm 66
Jesus said, "They will come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south. They will sit down in the kingdom of God". (Luke 13:29)
Psalm 66
(This is) for the music leader. (It is) a song (and) a psalm.
v1 Shout aloud to God because you are happy, everyone on earth!
v2 Sing to the glory of his name! Make the sound of his praises beautiful!
v3 Say to God, "The things that you do (sometimes) frighten people.
You are so powerful and strong that your enemies are afraid of you.
v4 The whole world will get on its knees in front of you. It will sing your praise; it will praise your name in song". SELAH
v5 Come and see the things that God has done. The things that he did for people frightened many of them.
v6 He made the sea into dry land. The people walked across the river (Jordan) on their feet! So, we must praise him!
v7 He is so powerful that he will rule for ever. His eyes are always watching the nations. Nobody should fight against him. SELAH
v8 Say good things about God, you people. Let everybody hear the sound of (people) praising him.
v9 He is a God that keeps us alive. He does not let our feet slip.
v10 Really, God, you have tested us. You have made us pure as they make silver pure.
v11 You brought us into a prison and made people beat our backs.
v12 But you sent a man to lead us. We went through fire and water, but you brought us into a place where there was plenty.
v13 I will bring gifts to burn to you in your house. I will keep the promises that I made to you.
v14 When I was in trouble my lips made a promise. I said it out aloud.
v15 The gifts that I will offer to you will be fat animals. You will smell the rams when they burn. I will also offer to you bulls and goats. SELAH
v16 Come and listen, all you people that are afraid of God. I will tell you some of the things that he has done for me.
v17 I cried aloud to him, then I praised him!
v18 If I was thinking bad things in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.
v19 But God did hear me. He listened to my voice while I prayed.
v20 I will say good things about God. He has not been deaf to my voice. He has shown me his kind love.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 66
Every year the Jews have a Passover. They have done it now for nearly 3 500 years. In it, they remember that God took them from Egypt to the Promised Land. They called the Promised Land "Israel". This Psalm is about a special Passover. Many Bible students think that it is the one after God saved them from the Assyrians. This was about 2700 years ago. Their king at that time was Hezekiah.
What Psalm 66 means
The psalm is in two parts:
• Verses 1 – 12: All the people are speaking.
In this part, there are three smaller parts:
1) Verses 1 - 4: the psalm tells all the world to praise God
2) Verses 5 - 7: the psalm tells people to think about God’s power
3) Verses 8 - 12: the psalm here is about God saving his people.
• Verses 13 – 20: Only the leader is speaking, maybe King Hezekiah.
In this part, there are two smaller parts:
1) Verses 13 - 15: the leader (Hezekiah?) keeps his promise
2) Verses 16 - 20: he asks all that are afraid of God to hear him.
"(It is) a song (and) a psalm" means that there are words (song) and music (psalm). But there is no music in verse 1. This Psalm tells people to shout to God. (So does Psalm 100.) They do this in England when they have a new king or queen. All the people in the church at the time shout "God save the king (or queen)". But in verse 2 there is music, and it must sound beautiful! In verse 4 "get on its knees" in the Hebrew Bible is "bow down". This means bend down. It means that you show that the person you are bending in front of is greater than you are.
"The things that God has done" in verse 5 were when he led his people from Egypt to the Promised Land. He made the Red Sea dry in front of them as they came out of Egypt (Exodus 14). He also made the River Jordan dry in front of them as they went in to the Promised Land (Joshua 3). Both of these are in verse 6. Study the words "the people" (verse 6) and "the nations" (verse 7). As in many of the psalms, "the people" are the Jews and "the nations" are the rest of the world.
In verses 8 and 20 "say good things" we can also translate "bless". Bless is a special word which means that God will make good things happen to you. In the Old Testament this means things that grow. When God blessed someone then:
• they had healthy children
• their animals had many baby animals
• the food plants grew very well.
When we bless God the word does not mean the same. It means "say good things about him, praise him, tell him that he is wonderful". Verses 9-12 are about what God has just done for his people. It is not about saving them from Egypt. If Bible students are correct and the king is Hezekiah, then God has just saved them from Assyria. He kept them alive when they thought that the Assyrians would kill them. Their feet did not slip, so that they did not fall down in front of their enemy. It was difficult, but God was testing them. It burned a lot of the bad out of them, as metal-workers burn dirt out of silver when they refine it (or make it pure). The Assyrian army was all round Jerusalem, so the Jews could not get out. They felt as if they were in prison. They felt as if the prison keepers beat their backs with whips. But God sent them a good leader, King Hezekiah, with the prophet Isaiah to give him help. They went through fire and water. This is a Jewish and English way to say "they went through very great trouble and difficulty". But God brought them to a place where there was plenty! God blessed them again with children, lots of animals and plenty of food. They could say "My cup is so full that it overflowed", (Psalm 23:5). That word "overflowed" is the same word in the Hebrew Bible as "there was plenty" in Psalm 66:12!
Now the speaker changes. Only one person is speaking, maybe Hezekiah. When he and his people were in trouble, he made God a promise aloud, so that other people heard it (verse 14). He does not say what the promise was, but in verses 13 and 15 he says that he will keep the promise. He says that he will sacrifice to God fat animals, like rams (male sheep), bulls (male cows) and goats (an animal like a sheep). There are different sacrifices in the Old Testament. The people ate some sacrifices, but others they burned and did not eat. They thought that God would smell the animals they were burning and that it would make God happy. Bible students think that this was a sacrifice that they burned, at Passover time.
The psalm finishes with the King (or other leader) telling the people about the things that God had done for him. If it was saving the people from the Assyrians, then he is speaking for all of them! In verse 17, maybe it means "I prayed for help when the Assyrians came, but I knew I would praise God if he answered me". Verse 18 is important. When we pray to God, we must want good things to happen not bad things. The "kind love" in verse 20 is a special Bible word in Hebrew. It means that God will love people even if they are not good people. He will do this if they ask him to and obey him after he does!
Something to do
1. If you have a Bible, read Isaiah 37. If you do not have a Bible, read Psalms 46, 47 and 48 in this set of psalms.
2. When you are in trouble, pray to God about it. When he answers you, tell other people about it.
3. If you know any Jewish people, ask them about the Passover.__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 65
Go and teach all nations
A Harvest Song
Psalm 65
Jesus took bread and he thanked (God). He broke it and gave it to (his friends). He said, "This is my body that I am giving for you. Do this to remember me". In the same way, he also gave them the (wine) cup after supper. He said, "This cup is the new agreement in my blood. (Men) will pour out my blood for you". (Luke 22:19-20)
Psalm 65
(This is) for the music leader. (It is) a psalm of David, a song.
v1 Silence is praise to you, God, in Zion. And we will keep our promises to you.
v2 You are the One that Hears Prayer. To you every man and woman should come.
v3 My sins are too heavy for me. You (only) can take away (the bad results of) our disobedience.
v4 The man that you choose will be very happy. You will bring him near and he will go into your courts. We will have plenty of good things in your house, in your holy temple.
v5 You answer us by doing things that are righteous, (but) they make us afraid. You are the God that saves us. You are the hope of people from the ends of the earth and far away seas.
v6 You are so strong that you made the mountains. Everything that you do shows how powerful you are.
v7 You stop the seas from being angry, so that the waters make no noise. You do the same with people.
v8 Those that live far away see the great things that you have done. It makes them afraid. Where morning starts and evening finishes (they) shout for joy (to you).
v9 You care for the land. You send rain on it and you make the ground grow good plants. The rivers of God are full of water. They give people grain because that is how you prepared (the land).
v10 Pour water on the land where the plough was. This will make it flat. Let the rain make the ground soft. (Then) it will grow good (plants).
v11 The best part of the year is when you give us good things. Everywhere you go there is plenty.
v12 The fields in wild places pour out good things. All over the hills there is plenty.
v13 The fields are full of sheep. The valleys are full of grain. (They seem) to shout and sing for joy!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 65
Many Bible students think that this is a harvest psalm. Harvest is when people pick the fruits and vegetables that they need for food. The Jews had three harvests:
1. Passover (March-April). This was the first harvest, when they brought in grain called barley. They made bread from barley.
2. Pentecost (May-June). This was the second harvest, when they brought in grain called wheat. They also made bread from it.
3. Tabernacles (September-October). This was the last harvest, when they picked the grapes. They made wine from the grapes.
Wine is a drink with alcohol in it.
These harvests remind us of the bread and wine that Jesus said were his body and blood. Paul also reminds us that because Jesus died at Passover he was the first harvest of the new people of God! ("The first fruits of them that slept", 1 Corinthians 15:20.)
If Psalm 65 is a harvest psalm, then it is for use at Passover. There would be no grain still in the fields at the second and third harvests.
But we can look at the psalm in a different way. We can say that:
• verses 1 - 4 tell us that God saves us
• verses 5 - 8 tell us that God is powerful
• verses 9 - 13 tell us that God gives us plenty of good things.
When kings and their soldiers went through a country, they often took everything away with them. When God as king goes through a country, he leaves more than he takes!
When David wrote this psalm, he had not built the temple. His son Solomon did that. So, verse 4 is about the tent that David used as a temple, or someone else changed the psalm after Solomon built the temple.
What Psalm 65 means
Verse 1 is difficult to understand. Maybe it means that it is good to be silent before God. This is how we have translated it. Or maybe it means that there is silence where there should be praise. Some translations say that this is what it means. Also, some Greek Bibles have "in Jerusalem" at the end of the verse. Zion is the hill in Jerusalem where Solomon built the temple.
Verse 3 Many people feel that their sins are like a weight on them. It makes them very sad. Here, David felt like that. But he also knew that God could take the weight away. "Take away" in Hebrew is "blot out". It is like hiding a mark by putting a bigger mark on it. You cannot see the first mark! You have "blotted it out". If you want to know more about sin, disobedience and blotting out sin, read the notes in Psalms 32 and 51 in this set of psalms.
Verse 4 The courts are the parts of the temple outside the main building. There were lots of little rooms for God’s servants to live in.
Verse 5 Everything that God does is righteous. This means that there is nothing wrong or bad in it. But some of the things that he does make people afraid. We call what they feel "fear". It makes some people frightened of God. It makes others see how great he is, and they want to love and worship him. We call this sort of good fear "awe".
In verses 6 - 8 we have the second sort of "fear of God". God gives these people hope, and they want to shout for joy to him. In other words, they are so happy that it makes them sing to God!
Verse 6 "Made the mountains" is really "put the mountains in their places" in Hebrew. Jesus said that our prayers could move mountains as well! That is because when we pray God shows people how strong he is.
Verse 7 Jesus did this when he was in a boat with his friends. They thought that they were going to drown because the storm was so bad! But Jesus stopped the storm so that the waters made no noise.
Verse 8 One very important thing about this psalm is that it says everyone can come to God. Look in verse 2. "Every man and woman should come". And in this verse "those that live far away see how great you are". How far? From the east ("where morning starts") to the west ("where evening finishes")! Psalm 65 tells us that we do not have to be Israelites. We can all come to God, wherever we live!
Verse 9 "Prepared" means that God did things to the land so that it gave lots of fruit and vegetables. Rain was important to the Jews. Without it, there were no fruit and vegetables. They would die of hunger. But God sent plenty of water. "Grain" is a word that means the fruit of plants like wheat, corn, barley, and others. We use them to make bread.
Verse 10 When we plough the earth, the plough does not leave it flat. But the rain makes it flat again. It also makes it soft so people can plant seeds.
Verse 11 Then comes the harvest. That is the best time of the year, says David in the psalm! God gives plenty of good things.
Verses 12 – 13 Here are 4 places where God gives plenty of good things:
• the wild places where not many people live
• the hills where it is hard to grow things
• the places where farmers keep lots of sheep
• the valleys near the rivers where the grain grows.
In all these places ... in fact, everywhere … God gives plenty. We often say that he "blesses" us. That word "blesses" really means that when we plant seeds we will get lots of fruit and vegetables; when we keep sheep there will be many baby sheep (lambs); and men and women will have children. "Bless" means good harvests of all sorts!
Something to do
Many people are not "blessed". Pray to God that he will bless them, that is, send them plenty of food and other things that they need. Never stop praying for this. Jesus told us to pray "Give us today bread for today" (Matthew 6:11).
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
A Harvest Song
Psalm 65
Jesus took bread and he thanked (God). He broke it and gave it to (his friends). He said, "This is my body that I am giving for you. Do this to remember me". In the same way, he also gave them the (wine) cup after supper. He said, "This cup is the new agreement in my blood. (Men) will pour out my blood for you". (Luke 22:19-20)
Psalm 65
(This is) for the music leader. (It is) a psalm of David, a song.
v1 Silence is praise to you, God, in Zion. And we will keep our promises to you.
v2 You are the One that Hears Prayer. To you every man and woman should come.
v3 My sins are too heavy for me. You (only) can take away (the bad results of) our disobedience.
v4 The man that you choose will be very happy. You will bring him near and he will go into your courts. We will have plenty of good things in your house, in your holy temple.
v5 You answer us by doing things that are righteous, (but) they make us afraid. You are the God that saves us. You are the hope of people from the ends of the earth and far away seas.
v6 You are so strong that you made the mountains. Everything that you do shows how powerful you are.
v7 You stop the seas from being angry, so that the waters make no noise. You do the same with people.
v8 Those that live far away see the great things that you have done. It makes them afraid. Where morning starts and evening finishes (they) shout for joy (to you).
v9 You care for the land. You send rain on it and you make the ground grow good plants. The rivers of God are full of water. They give people grain because that is how you prepared (the land).
v10 Pour water on the land where the plough was. This will make it flat. Let the rain make the ground soft. (Then) it will grow good (plants).
v11 The best part of the year is when you give us good things. Everywhere you go there is plenty.
v12 The fields in wild places pour out good things. All over the hills there is plenty.
v13 The fields are full of sheep. The valleys are full of grain. (They seem) to shout and sing for joy!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 65
Many Bible students think that this is a harvest psalm. Harvest is when people pick the fruits and vegetables that they need for food. The Jews had three harvests:
1. Passover (March-April). This was the first harvest, when they brought in grain called barley. They made bread from barley.
2. Pentecost (May-June). This was the second harvest, when they brought in grain called wheat. They also made bread from it.
3. Tabernacles (September-October). This was the last harvest, when they picked the grapes. They made wine from the grapes.
Wine is a drink with alcohol in it.
These harvests remind us of the bread and wine that Jesus said were his body and blood. Paul also reminds us that because Jesus died at Passover he was the first harvest of the new people of God! ("The first fruits of them that slept", 1 Corinthians 15:20.)
If Psalm 65 is a harvest psalm, then it is for use at Passover. There would be no grain still in the fields at the second and third harvests.
But we can look at the psalm in a different way. We can say that:
• verses 1 - 4 tell us that God saves us
• verses 5 - 8 tell us that God is powerful
• verses 9 - 13 tell us that God gives us plenty of good things.
When kings and their soldiers went through a country, they often took everything away with them. When God as king goes through a country, he leaves more than he takes!
When David wrote this psalm, he had not built the temple. His son Solomon did that. So, verse 4 is about the tent that David used as a temple, or someone else changed the psalm after Solomon built the temple.
What Psalm 65 means
Verse 1 is difficult to understand. Maybe it means that it is good to be silent before God. This is how we have translated it. Or maybe it means that there is silence where there should be praise. Some translations say that this is what it means. Also, some Greek Bibles have "in Jerusalem" at the end of the verse. Zion is the hill in Jerusalem where Solomon built the temple.
Verse 3 Many people feel that their sins are like a weight on them. It makes them very sad. Here, David felt like that. But he also knew that God could take the weight away. "Take away" in Hebrew is "blot out". It is like hiding a mark by putting a bigger mark on it. You cannot see the first mark! You have "blotted it out". If you want to know more about sin, disobedience and blotting out sin, read the notes in Psalms 32 and 51 in this set of psalms.
Verse 4 The courts are the parts of the temple outside the main building. There were lots of little rooms for God’s servants to live in.
Verse 5 Everything that God does is righteous. This means that there is nothing wrong or bad in it. But some of the things that he does make people afraid. We call what they feel "fear". It makes some people frightened of God. It makes others see how great he is, and they want to love and worship him. We call this sort of good fear "awe".
In verses 6 - 8 we have the second sort of "fear of God". God gives these people hope, and they want to shout for joy to him. In other words, they are so happy that it makes them sing to God!
Verse 6 "Made the mountains" is really "put the mountains in their places" in Hebrew. Jesus said that our prayers could move mountains as well! That is because when we pray God shows people how strong he is.
Verse 7 Jesus did this when he was in a boat with his friends. They thought that they were going to drown because the storm was so bad! But Jesus stopped the storm so that the waters made no noise.
Verse 8 One very important thing about this psalm is that it says everyone can come to God. Look in verse 2. "Every man and woman should come". And in this verse "those that live far away see how great you are". How far? From the east ("where morning starts") to the west ("where evening finishes")! Psalm 65 tells us that we do not have to be Israelites. We can all come to God, wherever we live!
Verse 9 "Prepared" means that God did things to the land so that it gave lots of fruit and vegetables. Rain was important to the Jews. Without it, there were no fruit and vegetables. They would die of hunger. But God sent plenty of water. "Grain" is a word that means the fruit of plants like wheat, corn, barley, and others. We use them to make bread.
Verse 10 When we plough the earth, the plough does not leave it flat. But the rain makes it flat again. It also makes it soft so people can plant seeds.
Verse 11 Then comes the harvest. That is the best time of the year, says David in the psalm! God gives plenty of good things.
Verses 12 – 13 Here are 4 places where God gives plenty of good things:
• the wild places where not many people live
• the hills where it is hard to grow things
• the places where farmers keep lots of sheep
• the valleys near the rivers where the grain grows.
In all these places ... in fact, everywhere … God gives plenty. We often say that he "blesses" us. That word "blesses" really means that when we plant seeds we will get lots of fruit and vegetables; when we keep sheep there will be many baby sheep (lambs); and men and women will have children. "Bless" means good harvests of all sorts!
Something to do
Many people are not "blessed". Pray to God that he will bless them, that is, send them plenty of food and other things that they need. Never stop praying for this. Jesus told us to pray "Give us today bread for today" (Matthew 6:11).
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Monday, May 08, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 64
Go and teach all nations
Words Like Arrows
Psalm 64
Simeon said to Mary, "Look, this child (Jesus) is here so that many in Israel will fall down and then rise up again. And many people will say bad things about him. Yes, and a sword will cut into your soul also". (Luke 2:34, 35)
Psalm 64
(This is) for the music leader. (It is) a psalm of David.
v1, v2 God, hear my voice as I tell you my troubles. (Then):
• you will make me safe from the enemy that I am afraid of
• you will hide me from the secret ideas of bad people
• you will keep me from noisy crowds of evil people.
v3 - v6 (These evil people):
• make their tongues sharp like swords
• shoot words that hurt like arrows
(v4) • shoot from secret places at good people
• shoot when people do not think it will happen
(v5) • are not afraid (when they have done it)
• will not change their evil ideas
• talk about hiding traps and say, "Who will see them?"
(v6) • say "Who will find out the crimes that we have done?"
• say "We have made a plan that nobody will discover!"
What men think in their hearts is very deep.
v7 But God will shoot an arrow at them when they do not think it will happen. It will hurt them a lot.
v8 Really, they will destroy themselves with their tongues! All the people that see it will shake their heads.
v9 Everyone will be afraid and talk about what God has done. They will understand what has happened.
v10 Good people will be very happy with the LORD. They will trust in him. Everybody with an honest heart will praise (God)!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 64
People were saying bad things about King David. The things that they said hurt David inside as arrows and swords would hurt his body. Arrows and swords were what people used then to kill their enemies. Their words were like arrows and swords. They hurt his soul or spirit. We use "soul" and "spirit" for words to describe the part of us that lives when our bodies die. So David told God about his troubles. He said what these bad people were doing. At the end of the psalm he said what God would do. This would make good people be very happy, and trust God and praise him. "Trust" means "believe that God would do good things for them".
What Psalm 64 means
Verses 1 and 2: David tells God to "hear my voice". In Hebrew, the word "hear" also means "listen and do something". Because David thought this, he then said what God would do. He would make David safe from the bad people. David was afraid of these people until he prayed to God. After that, he waited for God to shoot back! (See verse 7.)
Some translations leave out the "you will" in verses 1b and 2 but we translate what the Hebrew Bible says.
Verses 3 – 6: David gives us a picture of the bad men. They hide so nobody can see them. They shoot arrows at people to hurt them. They think that nobody will ever find out what they have done. They did not shoot real arrows.
"Very deep" at the end of verse 6 probably means "hard to understand". Bible students are not sure if evil people or David said it. The bad words that they said about David and his friends were like arrows that hurt him. But they made sure that nobody knew who said these hurting things! Some translations have "Who will see us" in verse 5. The Hebrew has "Who will see them", meaning the traps they had hidden to catch good men in.
Verses 7 – 10: Again, shooting with a bow and arrow is only a picture. We must not think of God shooting these evil men with his bow and arrow! Just as their arrows are words, so God’s arrows are words. But because God is so powerful, what God says will happen. He does not need arrows. As Luke said about Jesus, "His word was with power" (Luke 4:32). The Hebrew word in verse 10 is not "good people" but "righteous people". They are the people that love, serve and obey God. You can read about what "righteous" means after Psalm 5.
Something to do
Think about the Simeon's words at the top of the psalm. Because people wanted to hurt Jesus, they would hurt Mary his mother too. And because people could not hurt God, they hurt his servant David instead!
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Words Like Arrows
Psalm 64
Simeon said to Mary, "Look, this child (Jesus) is here so that many in Israel will fall down and then rise up again. And many people will say bad things about him. Yes, and a sword will cut into your soul also". (Luke 2:34, 35)
Psalm 64
(This is) for the music leader. (It is) a psalm of David.
v1, v2 God, hear my voice as I tell you my troubles. (Then):
• you will make me safe from the enemy that I am afraid of
• you will hide me from the secret ideas of bad people
• you will keep me from noisy crowds of evil people.
v3 - v6 (These evil people):
• make their tongues sharp like swords
• shoot words that hurt like arrows
(v4) • shoot from secret places at good people
• shoot when people do not think it will happen
(v5) • are not afraid (when they have done it)
• will not change their evil ideas
• talk about hiding traps and say, "Who will see them?"
(v6) • say "Who will find out the crimes that we have done?"
• say "We have made a plan that nobody will discover!"
What men think in their hearts is very deep.
v7 But God will shoot an arrow at them when they do not think it will happen. It will hurt them a lot.
v8 Really, they will destroy themselves with their tongues! All the people that see it will shake their heads.
v9 Everyone will be afraid and talk about what God has done. They will understand what has happened.
v10 Good people will be very happy with the LORD. They will trust in him. Everybody with an honest heart will praise (God)!
Comments
The Story of Psalm 64
People were saying bad things about King David. The things that they said hurt David inside as arrows and swords would hurt his body. Arrows and swords were what people used then to kill their enemies. Their words were like arrows and swords. They hurt his soul or spirit. We use "soul" and "spirit" for words to describe the part of us that lives when our bodies die. So David told God about his troubles. He said what these bad people were doing. At the end of the psalm he said what God would do. This would make good people be very happy, and trust God and praise him. "Trust" means "believe that God would do good things for them".
What Psalm 64 means
Verses 1 and 2: David tells God to "hear my voice". In Hebrew, the word "hear" also means "listen and do something". Because David thought this, he then said what God would do. He would make David safe from the bad people. David was afraid of these people until he prayed to God. After that, he waited for God to shoot back! (See verse 7.)
Some translations leave out the "you will" in verses 1b and 2 but we translate what the Hebrew Bible says.
Verses 3 – 6: David gives us a picture of the bad men. They hide so nobody can see them. They shoot arrows at people to hurt them. They think that nobody will ever find out what they have done. They did not shoot real arrows.
"Very deep" at the end of verse 6 probably means "hard to understand". Bible students are not sure if evil people or David said it. The bad words that they said about David and his friends were like arrows that hurt him. But they made sure that nobody knew who said these hurting things! Some translations have "Who will see us" in verse 5. The Hebrew has "Who will see them", meaning the traps they had hidden to catch good men in.
Verses 7 – 10: Again, shooting with a bow and arrow is only a picture. We must not think of God shooting these evil men with his bow and arrow! Just as their arrows are words, so God’s arrows are words. But because God is so powerful, what God says will happen. He does not need arrows. As Luke said about Jesus, "His word was with power" (Luke 4:32). The Hebrew word in verse 10 is not "good people" but "righteous people". They are the people that love, serve and obey God. You can read about what "righteous" means after Psalm 5.
Something to do
Think about the Simeon's words at the top of the psalm. Because people wanted to hurt Jesus, they would hurt Mary his mother too. And because people could not hurt God, they hurt his servant David instead!
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 63
Go and teach all nations
A Morning Song
Psalm 63
Jesus said, "Good things will happen to people that are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. They will have the kingdom of heaven". (Matthew 5:10)
Psalm 63
(This is) a psalm of David, when he was in the wild country of Judah.
v1 God, you are my God. I will look for you early (in the morning). My soul is thirsty for you. All of me wants you. (It is like living in) a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
v2 I want to see you in your house, I want to see your power and your glory.
v3 Your kind love is better than life, so my mouth will sing your praises.
v4 Also I will say how good you are all my life. I will lift up my hands in your name.
v5 My soul is full, as if I had eaten a lot at a party. My mouth is full of happy praises to you.
v6 I remember you when I am in bed and I think of you through the night.
v7 Because you have given me help and I will praise you in the shadow of your wings.
v8 My soul stays very near to you and your right hand keeps me safe.
v9 I ask that (someone) will destroy the people that want to kill me. Then they will go down deep into the earth.
v10 The sword will kill them and wild animals will eat their dead bodies.
v11 The king will sing psalms (of praises) to God. Everybody that promises to serve God will be very happy. (This is) because the mouths of people who tell lies will be shut.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 63
The Church has used this as a morning song for hundreds of years. This is because verse 1 says, "I will look for you early". The Hebrew word "early" can also mean "in a special way".
Maybe David wrote this psalm when he wrote Psalm 3. Psalm 3 is another morning song. David wrote it when his son Absalom tried to kill him. David ran away to Edom. Edom is east of Jerusalem where David lived. To get to Edom David went through a wilderness, or a wild place. There was not much water and it was very dry. It made David think that he was very dry. This was not because he was thirsty for water but thirsty for God! He could not go to the Temple in Jerusalem and speak to God. David prays that God will send somebody to kill his enemies. Then he can go back to the Temple, or the house of God, in Jerusalem.
What Psalm 63 means
Verse 1: As our bodies need food and drink, so our souls need something. That something is God! Read Matthew 5:10 at the top of this psalm. In it, Jesus promised this. Those who want (or are hungry and thirsty) to see God do what is right will live in God’s kingdom.
Verse 2: David wanted to see God’s power and glory in the Temple in Jerusalem. David calls the Temple ‘your house’. You can read about the Temple after Psalm 4. And you can read about righteousness after Psalm 5. The glory of God is something that shines more than the sun!
Verse 4: When we lift our hands up to God, it means that we give the whole of ourselves to God. It shows people what we feel like inside.
Verse 5: When the Jews burnt animals to make God happy, they sometimes ate part of the meat. That is the sort of party it means here. A feast is a better word for it, when people eat and drink a lot. David is saying that God has fed his soul as a feast would feed his body. That is why he will praise God and tell him that he is a great God!
Verse 6: They used to make the night into separate "watches". These were times of 3 hours for the Jews, 4 hours for the Romans. This verse in Hebrew is 'think of you through the night watches'. This is the best thing to do when we cannot sleep.
Verse 7: The Old Testament gives us a picture of God as a bird! We can then hide under his wings when we are in danger. Other psalms have this picture of God as a bird. They are Psalms 17:8, 36:7 and 57:1.
Verses 9 – 10: This is what Christians call "A Prayer of Imprecation". Read about it in our notes about Psalm 58. "Imprecation" means "praying for bad things to happen to people". We find these prayers hard to agree with today. This is because Jesus told us to love our enemies and to pray for them (Matthew 5:44). "Deep into the earth" means "into Sheol". That is where the Jews thought that people’s souls went when their bodies died. It was a dark place under the ground. These bodies remained on the ground, and wild animals like jackals came and ate them. They were the bodies of David’s enemies.
Verse 11: The king is David himself. He will praise God because his enemies are dead. They will not tell lies again because their mouths are shut.
Something to do
1. When you cannot sleep at night, think of God. It helps to repeat some parts of the Bible. Learn some verses so that you can do this. Verses 3 and 8 in this psalm are good verses to learn.
2. Study again "righteousness" and "prayers of imprecation". You will find the psalms that they are in our notes about verses 2 and 9 above.
3. Pray for your enemies. Do not pray that they will die, but that they will believe in God! God will decide when they will die, not you.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
A Morning Song
Psalm 63
Jesus said, "Good things will happen to people that are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. They will have the kingdom of heaven". (Matthew 5:10)
Psalm 63
(This is) a psalm of David, when he was in the wild country of Judah.
v1 God, you are my God. I will look for you early (in the morning). My soul is thirsty for you. All of me wants you. (It is like living in) a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
v2 I want to see you in your house, I want to see your power and your glory.
v3 Your kind love is better than life, so my mouth will sing your praises.
v4 Also I will say how good you are all my life. I will lift up my hands in your name.
v5 My soul is full, as if I had eaten a lot at a party. My mouth is full of happy praises to you.
v6 I remember you when I am in bed and I think of you through the night.
v7 Because you have given me help and I will praise you in the shadow of your wings.
v8 My soul stays very near to you and your right hand keeps me safe.
v9 I ask that (someone) will destroy the people that want to kill me. Then they will go down deep into the earth.
v10 The sword will kill them and wild animals will eat their dead bodies.
v11 The king will sing psalms (of praises) to God. Everybody that promises to serve God will be very happy. (This is) because the mouths of people who tell lies will be shut.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 63
The Church has used this as a morning song for hundreds of years. This is because verse 1 says, "I will look for you early". The Hebrew word "early" can also mean "in a special way".
Maybe David wrote this psalm when he wrote Psalm 3. Psalm 3 is another morning song. David wrote it when his son Absalom tried to kill him. David ran away to Edom. Edom is east of Jerusalem where David lived. To get to Edom David went through a wilderness, or a wild place. There was not much water and it was very dry. It made David think that he was very dry. This was not because he was thirsty for water but thirsty for God! He could not go to the Temple in Jerusalem and speak to God. David prays that God will send somebody to kill his enemies. Then he can go back to the Temple, or the house of God, in Jerusalem.
What Psalm 63 means
Verse 1: As our bodies need food and drink, so our souls need something. That something is God! Read Matthew 5:10 at the top of this psalm. In it, Jesus promised this. Those who want (or are hungry and thirsty) to see God do what is right will live in God’s kingdom.
Verse 2: David wanted to see God’s power and glory in the Temple in Jerusalem. David calls the Temple ‘your house’. You can read about the Temple after Psalm 4. And you can read about righteousness after Psalm 5. The glory of God is something that shines more than the sun!
Verse 4: When we lift our hands up to God, it means that we give the whole of ourselves to God. It shows people what we feel like inside.
Verse 5: When the Jews burnt animals to make God happy, they sometimes ate part of the meat. That is the sort of party it means here. A feast is a better word for it, when people eat and drink a lot. David is saying that God has fed his soul as a feast would feed his body. That is why he will praise God and tell him that he is a great God!
Verse 6: They used to make the night into separate "watches". These were times of 3 hours for the Jews, 4 hours for the Romans. This verse in Hebrew is 'think of you through the night watches'. This is the best thing to do when we cannot sleep.
Verse 7: The Old Testament gives us a picture of God as a bird! We can then hide under his wings when we are in danger. Other psalms have this picture of God as a bird. They are Psalms 17:8, 36:7 and 57:1.
Verses 9 – 10: This is what Christians call "A Prayer of Imprecation". Read about it in our notes about Psalm 58. "Imprecation" means "praying for bad things to happen to people". We find these prayers hard to agree with today. This is because Jesus told us to love our enemies and to pray for them (Matthew 5:44). "Deep into the earth" means "into Sheol". That is where the Jews thought that people’s souls went when their bodies died. It was a dark place under the ground. These bodies remained on the ground, and wild animals like jackals came and ate them. They were the bodies of David’s enemies.
Verse 11: The king is David himself. He will praise God because his enemies are dead. They will not tell lies again because their mouths are shut.
Something to do
1. When you cannot sleep at night, think of God. It helps to repeat some parts of the Bible. Learn some verses so that you can do this. Verses 3 and 8 in this psalm are good verses to learn.
2. Study again "righteousness" and "prayers of imprecation". You will find the psalms that they are in our notes about verses 2 and 9 above.
3. Pray for your enemies. Do not pray that they will die, but that they will believe in God! God will decide when they will die, not you.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 62
Go and teach all nations
Only God!
Psalm 62
Jesus said, "Do not be afraid. Only believe". (Mark 5:36)
Psalm 62
(This is) for the music leader of Jeduthun’s (singers). (It is) a psalm of David.
v1 Only on God is my soul resting. From him comes my safety.
v2 Only he is my rock. He will keep me safe! He is my fortress, so nothing will move me much.
v3 How long will you shout at a man? You all attack (as if he was):
• a wall that is breaking
• a fence that is falling down.
v4 They only want to push him off his high place. They love to tell a lie. They say good things with their mouths but (think) bad things in their hearts. SELAH
v5 Only on God is my soul resting, because from him comes my hope.
v6 Only he is my rock. He will keep me safe! He is my fortress so nothing will move me (at all).
v7 (It is) God that made me safe and (put me somewhere) important. God is a strong rock and a shelter.
v8 Everybody (should) always trust in him! Tell him everything that is in your
heart. God is our shelter! SELAH
v9 All men are only as a breath! Everyone is as nothing! They all weigh less than nothing! Everybody together is like a breath (of air).
v10 Do not trust in things that you:
• make people give to you (or that you)
• steal (from people).
If you become rich do not think in your heart that (money) will give you help.
v11 God has said one thing (and) I have heard two things. God is strong,
v12 and you, Lord, have kind love. I am sure that you will give to everyone what they should get.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 62
David often became "strong in God". 1 Samuel 23:16 says, "Jonathan made David strong in God". 1 Samuel 30:6 says, "David made himself strong in the LORD his God". What does this mean? It means that when David was weak or ill or afraid he asked God to give him help. Because he thought that God would do this, David felt strong again! In this psalm David makes himself "strong in God" by thinking of God as his:
• rock and strong rock
• fortress and shelter
• safety and hope.
Maybe he did this when his son Absalom wanted to be king. David ran away and did not return until Absalom was dead. He says that it is silly to think that men and money can give you help. Also he says that it is stupid to try to do what God does not want.
What Psalm 62 means
Jeduthun was one of David’s singers and a music leader.
When he died, we think that they still called his group of singers "Jeduthun". They were part of his family.
Before we look at some of the verses, look at some interesting things in this psalm:
• The word only comes 6 times in important places. The Hebrew word only gives us a lot of help in understanding the psalm. It is the first word in verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9. This is not easy to do in English, so in verses 4 and 9 it comes later! The psalm says only God can give us help, men can only hurt us. These are the men that were David’s enemies.
• There are many words that soldiers use: fortress, shelter, wall and fence. In the psalm they are the walls and fences round the soldiers to make them safe.
• In verse 7 there is something that we often find in Hebrew poetry. Poetry is using words in a special way, so that they sound good. In the Hebrew psalm, God is the first and last word in the verse. This makes God special in the verse.
Verses 1, 2, 5 and 6. The word "resting" here means more than not doing any work. It means not making any noise, and waiting for God to do something. In verse 2 "move me" means "stop me resting on God". In other words, it means "stop me waiting for God to give me help". Now in verse 2 David says "move me much" but in verse 6 there is no "much". Nothing will move him at all!
This often happens with Christians. They trust God a little bit, and, when he sends help, they trust him more! "Trust" means that you love, serve and obey God, and that he gives you hope that he will help you.
In verse 3 Bible students are not sure whether the breaking wall means David or his enemies. If it is David, the wall will not fall; if it is his enemies then they will soon fall over! Our translation makes David into the wall.
In verse 4 the "high place" may be the fortress of verses 2 and 6. But it may be a "high place" in the government. As David was king, he had a very high place!
At the end of the verse are words like those that James said. James was Jesus’ brother. He wrote, "Out of the same mouth come good and bad words. My brothers, this should not happen" (James 3:10). In both Hebrew (the psalm) and Greek (James) "good words" are "blessings" and "bad words" are "cursings".
In verse 8 David tells all the people ... and that includes us! ... to tell God everything that is "in our hearts". This means everything that we think about. God is our shelter as well, if we ask him for help.
Air does not weigh very much. In verse 9 David says that people do not weigh very much either! He means that they are not important. He is writing about the people that do not trust in God. When we trust God, we become the people that accept his kind love, verse 12. Some Bible students think that "all men" in this verse means those who were not rulers. "Everybody" means the rulers, or the government.
But nobody is important until they accept God’s kind love. God wants everybody to accept his kind love!
Something to do
Tell God that you accept his kind love and that you want to love and serve him like David did. Trust him, and then wait only for God to help you! He will do it through many people and ways.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Only God!
Psalm 62
Jesus said, "Do not be afraid. Only believe". (Mark 5:36)
Psalm 62
(This is) for the music leader of Jeduthun’s (singers). (It is) a psalm of David.
v1 Only on God is my soul resting. From him comes my safety.
v2 Only he is my rock. He will keep me safe! He is my fortress, so nothing will move me much.
v3 How long will you shout at a man? You all attack (as if he was):
• a wall that is breaking
• a fence that is falling down.
v4 They only want to push him off his high place. They love to tell a lie. They say good things with their mouths but (think) bad things in their hearts. SELAH
v5 Only on God is my soul resting, because from him comes my hope.
v6 Only he is my rock. He will keep me safe! He is my fortress so nothing will move me (at all).
v7 (It is) God that made me safe and (put me somewhere) important. God is a strong rock and a shelter.
v8 Everybody (should) always trust in him! Tell him everything that is in your
heart. God is our shelter! SELAH
v9 All men are only as a breath! Everyone is as nothing! They all weigh less than nothing! Everybody together is like a breath (of air).
v10 Do not trust in things that you:
• make people give to you (or that you)
• steal (from people).
If you become rich do not think in your heart that (money) will give you help.
v11 God has said one thing (and) I have heard two things. God is strong,
v12 and you, Lord, have kind love. I am sure that you will give to everyone what they should get.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 62
David often became "strong in God". 1 Samuel 23:16 says, "Jonathan made David strong in God". 1 Samuel 30:6 says, "David made himself strong in the LORD his God". What does this mean? It means that when David was weak or ill or afraid he asked God to give him help. Because he thought that God would do this, David felt strong again! In this psalm David makes himself "strong in God" by thinking of God as his:
• rock and strong rock
• fortress and shelter
• safety and hope.
Maybe he did this when his son Absalom wanted to be king. David ran away and did not return until Absalom was dead. He says that it is silly to think that men and money can give you help. Also he says that it is stupid to try to do what God does not want.
What Psalm 62 means
Jeduthun was one of David’s singers and a music leader.
When he died, we think that they still called his group of singers "Jeduthun". They were part of his family.
Before we look at some of the verses, look at some interesting things in this psalm:
• The word only comes 6 times in important places. The Hebrew word only gives us a lot of help in understanding the psalm. It is the first word in verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9. This is not easy to do in English, so in verses 4 and 9 it comes later! The psalm says only God can give us help, men can only hurt us. These are the men that were David’s enemies.
• There are many words that soldiers use: fortress, shelter, wall and fence. In the psalm they are the walls and fences round the soldiers to make them safe.
• In verse 7 there is something that we often find in Hebrew poetry. Poetry is using words in a special way, so that they sound good. In the Hebrew psalm, God is the first and last word in the verse. This makes God special in the verse.
Verses 1, 2, 5 and 6. The word "resting" here means more than not doing any work. It means not making any noise, and waiting for God to do something. In verse 2 "move me" means "stop me resting on God". In other words, it means "stop me waiting for God to give me help". Now in verse 2 David says "move me much" but in verse 6 there is no "much". Nothing will move him at all!
This often happens with Christians. They trust God a little bit, and, when he sends help, they trust him more! "Trust" means that you love, serve and obey God, and that he gives you hope that he will help you.
In verse 3 Bible students are not sure whether the breaking wall means David or his enemies. If it is David, the wall will not fall; if it is his enemies then they will soon fall over! Our translation makes David into the wall.
In verse 4 the "high place" may be the fortress of verses 2 and 6. But it may be a "high place" in the government. As David was king, he had a very high place!
At the end of the verse are words like those that James said. James was Jesus’ brother. He wrote, "Out of the same mouth come good and bad words. My brothers, this should not happen" (James 3:10). In both Hebrew (the psalm) and Greek (James) "good words" are "blessings" and "bad words" are "cursings".
In verse 8 David tells all the people ... and that includes us! ... to tell God everything that is "in our hearts". This means everything that we think about. God is our shelter as well, if we ask him for help.
Air does not weigh very much. In verse 9 David says that people do not weigh very much either! He means that they are not important. He is writing about the people that do not trust in God. When we trust God, we become the people that accept his kind love, verse 12. Some Bible students think that "all men" in this verse means those who were not rulers. "Everybody" means the rulers, or the government.
But nobody is important until they accept God’s kind love. God wants everybody to accept his kind love!
Something to do
Tell God that you accept his kind love and that you want to love and serve him like David did. Trust him, and then wait only for God to help you! He will do it through many people and ways.
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Friday, May 05, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 61
Go and teach all nations
Pictures of God
Psalm 61
Jesus said, "I will always be with you, even to the end of the earth". (Matthew 28:20)
Psalm 61
(This is) for the music leader. He must use stringed instruments. (It is) a psalm of David.
v1 Hear me when I ask for help, God. Listen to my prayer.
v2 I will shout to you from the ends of the earth when my heart is weak. Lead me to a rock that is higher than I am.
v3 For you have always been a shelter for me, a tower against the enemy.
v4 I want to live in your house for ever. I want to hide under the shadow of you wings. SELAH
v5 For you, God, have heard my promises. You have given (me) the inheritance (land) of the people that are afraid of your name.
v6 Give the king a long life, so that he lives for a very long time.
v7 Let him sit with God for ever. Give him your kind love and truth to make him safe.
v8 Then I will praise your name for ever. I will keep my promises every day.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 61
David is far from his home in Jerusalem. Maybe he is in Syria, as in Psalm 60. Or, maybe, he is in Edom after he had run away from his son Absalom, when Absalom tried to become king. Sometimes he was sad. This was because he did not think that he could do anything. This is what "my heart is weak" means in verse 2. He did not feel brave enough to fight, he just wanted to die. But he knew that this was wrong, so he asked God for help. He thought of things around him that made him think about God. To David, God was like a special rock where he could hide.
What Psalm 61 means
We have printed the psalm in 4 parts:
• verses 1 - 4 David writes that he will ask God for help when he feels depressed. Depressed means that he feels that he does not want to do anything, or even live any more, because he is so sad.
• verse 5 David knows that God has heard his prayer.
• verses 6 - 7 David (or maybe someone else) prays for the king. The king may be David, or one of the kings after him.
• verse 8 David writes that he will always praise God.
Some Bible students think that David wrote only verses 1 - 5. Someone else wrote verses 6 - 8 so that people could use the psalm after David died. Maybe David wrote verses 6 - 8 so that people could pray for the new king when David was dead!
You will find the words always and for ever in this psalm. The word list says that they mean the same thing. With their usual meaning, this is true. But in this psalm we use "always" when David means while he is a man on earth. We use "for ever" for when his body dies and his spirit lives with God in heaven. Heaven is the home of God. We do not know where it is.
The Bible tells us not to draw pictures of God. But the Bible itself draws us many word pictures of God. There are several in this psalm.
• God is a rock, verse 2. The rock is a safe place where David can go when his enemies are fighting him. God is not a rock, but he is like a rock. When David is with God, it is like being on a very high rock. His enemies cannot reach him.
• God is a tower, verse 3. Old towns often had walls round them. This kept the enemies out of the town. The walls had tall parts or towers. The soldiers could see their enemies from the towers, but the enemies could not reach the soldiers! Towers made the soldiers feel strong. God is not a real tower, but he makes people strong.
• God has a house, verse 4. When David was alive, many people had a tent. This was a house made of animal skins. They could move the tent from one place to another place. When someone asked you to come into their tent, it meant that they would keep you safe in it. David thought that God had a very big tent and that he would be safe in it. Because David says "for ever" he means that God’s tent is either in heaven or heaven itself. Really, the Hebrew Bible says, "I want to live in your for ever house". It was the house, or tent, that would be for ever. David wanted to be in it ... for ever!
• God has wings, verse 4. A bird has wings, it flies with them. Also, it keeps its baby birds under them, to make them warm and safe.
God does not really have wings, but he does for people what a mother bird does for its babies. God keeps people safe.
In verse 5 David says that God has answered his prayer. Some Bible students translate "the inheritance" as "the answer". "The inheritance" means the land of Israel, the Promised Land. "The people that are afraid of your name" are the people that serve God. Here it means David’s people. "Afraid of" is difficult to translate. It does not mean that they thought that God would hurt them, but that God was more powerful than they were. In English we say that they were "in awe" of God. If Psalm 61 is about David fighting the Syrians, then the inheritance is the land that David got in the fight. If it is about Absalom wanting to be king, then the inheritance is the land of Israel that David got back when Absalom died. An inheritance is something that someone gives you. God gave David’s people the land that he had promised them. That is why we call it "The Promised Land".
Verses 6 and 7 make a prayer that we can always pray for our leaders. It is important that our leaders have God’s "kind love and truth". It will make them good leaders.
In verse 8 we do not know what David promised to do. Maybe he said, "If you give me help, God, I will always serve you".
Something to do
1. Look for things where you live that help you to remember God. Look in Psalm 36 in this set for some ideas.
2. If you have a Bible read in:
• 2 Samuel 8 for the story of David in Syria
• 2 Samuel chapters 15 to 19 for the story of Absalom.
3. Pray for the leaders of your country that God will give them his kind love and truth.
_o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Pictures of God
Psalm 61
Jesus said, "I will always be with you, even to the end of the earth". (Matthew 28:20)
Psalm 61
(This is) for the music leader. He must use stringed instruments. (It is) a psalm of David.
v1 Hear me when I ask for help, God. Listen to my prayer.
v2 I will shout to you from the ends of the earth when my heart is weak. Lead me to a rock that is higher than I am.
v3 For you have always been a shelter for me, a tower against the enemy.
v4 I want to live in your house for ever. I want to hide under the shadow of you wings. SELAH
v5 For you, God, have heard my promises. You have given (me) the inheritance (land) of the people that are afraid of your name.
v6 Give the king a long life, so that he lives for a very long time.
v7 Let him sit with God for ever. Give him your kind love and truth to make him safe.
v8 Then I will praise your name for ever. I will keep my promises every day.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 61
David is far from his home in Jerusalem. Maybe he is in Syria, as in Psalm 60. Or, maybe, he is in Edom after he had run away from his son Absalom, when Absalom tried to become king. Sometimes he was sad. This was because he did not think that he could do anything. This is what "my heart is weak" means in verse 2. He did not feel brave enough to fight, he just wanted to die. But he knew that this was wrong, so he asked God for help. He thought of things around him that made him think about God. To David, God was like a special rock where he could hide.
What Psalm 61 means
We have printed the psalm in 4 parts:
• verses 1 - 4 David writes that he will ask God for help when he feels depressed. Depressed means that he feels that he does not want to do anything, or even live any more, because he is so sad.
• verse 5 David knows that God has heard his prayer.
• verses 6 - 7 David (or maybe someone else) prays for the king. The king may be David, or one of the kings after him.
• verse 8 David writes that he will always praise God.
Some Bible students think that David wrote only verses 1 - 5. Someone else wrote verses 6 - 8 so that people could use the psalm after David died. Maybe David wrote verses 6 - 8 so that people could pray for the new king when David was dead!
You will find the words always and for ever in this psalm. The word list says that they mean the same thing. With their usual meaning, this is true. But in this psalm we use "always" when David means while he is a man on earth. We use "for ever" for when his body dies and his spirit lives with God in heaven. Heaven is the home of God. We do not know where it is.
The Bible tells us not to draw pictures of God. But the Bible itself draws us many word pictures of God. There are several in this psalm.
• God is a rock, verse 2. The rock is a safe place where David can go when his enemies are fighting him. God is not a rock, but he is like a rock. When David is with God, it is like being on a very high rock. His enemies cannot reach him.
• God is a tower, verse 3. Old towns often had walls round them. This kept the enemies out of the town. The walls had tall parts or towers. The soldiers could see their enemies from the towers, but the enemies could not reach the soldiers! Towers made the soldiers feel strong. God is not a real tower, but he makes people strong.
• God has a house, verse 4. When David was alive, many people had a tent. This was a house made of animal skins. They could move the tent from one place to another place. When someone asked you to come into their tent, it meant that they would keep you safe in it. David thought that God had a very big tent and that he would be safe in it. Because David says "for ever" he means that God’s tent is either in heaven or heaven itself. Really, the Hebrew Bible says, "I want to live in your for ever house". It was the house, or tent, that would be for ever. David wanted to be in it ... for ever!
• God has wings, verse 4. A bird has wings, it flies with them. Also, it keeps its baby birds under them, to make them warm and safe.
God does not really have wings, but he does for people what a mother bird does for its babies. God keeps people safe.
In verse 5 David says that God has answered his prayer. Some Bible students translate "the inheritance" as "the answer". "The inheritance" means the land of Israel, the Promised Land. "The people that are afraid of your name" are the people that serve God. Here it means David’s people. "Afraid of" is difficult to translate. It does not mean that they thought that God would hurt them, but that God was more powerful than they were. In English we say that they were "in awe" of God. If Psalm 61 is about David fighting the Syrians, then the inheritance is the land that David got in the fight. If it is about Absalom wanting to be king, then the inheritance is the land of Israel that David got back when Absalom died. An inheritance is something that someone gives you. God gave David’s people the land that he had promised them. That is why we call it "The Promised Land".
Verses 6 and 7 make a prayer that we can always pray for our leaders. It is important that our leaders have God’s "kind love and truth". It will make them good leaders.
In verse 8 we do not know what David promised to do. Maybe he said, "If you give me help, God, I will always serve you".
Something to do
1. Look for things where you live that help you to remember God. Look in Psalm 36 in this set for some ideas.
2. If you have a Bible read in:
• 2 Samuel 8 for the story of David in Syria
• 2 Samuel chapters 15 to 19 for the story of Absalom.
3. Pray for the leaders of your country that God will give them his kind love and truth.
_o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 60
Go and teach all nations
God, Give Us Help!
Psalm 60
Jesus said, "How can you go into the house of a strong man and take his things? You must first tie him up and then you can take his things". (Matthew 12:29)
Psalm 60
(This is) for the music leader. (He must use) "A Lily of the Covenant". (Psalm 60) is a miktam of David. It was to teach how:
• he fought armies in Mesopotamia
• he fought armies in Syria
• he sent Joab to Edom, where he killed 12 000 people in the Valley of Salt.
v1 (You have said) that you will not be our God any more and you have broken down our walls. Though you are angry, come back to us!
v2 You made the earth move and you tore it open. Mend its broken parts because it is falling to pieces.
v3 You showed hard things to your people. You made us drink wine that caused us to fall over.
v4 You lifted up a banner for the people that fear you. They will fight for what is true. SELAH
v5 Give us help so that the friends that you love will be safe. Use your right hand to answer us!
v6 - v8 God did answer us from his holy place! (He said):
• I will be the master
• I will make a parcel of Shechem
• I will measure the Valley of Succoth
• Gilead is mine
• Manasseh is mine
• Ephraim will cover my head
• Judah will judge for me
• Moab is my bathroom
• Edom is where I will throw my shoes
• Philistia will be something for me to laugh at.
v9 Who will lead me into the strong city? Who will take me in to Edom?
v10 (You have said) that you would not be our God any more. But God, will you really not go with our armies?
v11 Give to us help against the enemy, because help from men is of no value!
v12 With God we will beat everybody and walk all over our enemies.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 60
Psalm 60 is a miktam. A miktam is either something made of gold, or special teaching or something hidden. Bible students think that there is a story hidden in Psalm 60.
David was at war. He was a long way from home, near the River Euphrates. That means that he was in Babylon. The old name was Mesopotamia and the modern name is Iraq. 2 Samuel 8:3 tells us where he was. On the way home he fought the Syrians. While this was happening an old enemy of Israel called Edom attacked Jerusalem. David sent one of his soldiers with part of the army to fight the Edomites. They beat them and killed 12 000 of them. This happened in the Valley of Salt, near the Dead Sea.
David wrote the psalm because he thought that God had left him and his people. That is what David thought that the attack by Edom meant. The Edomites must have broken the walls of some of the towns in Israel. But something else must have happened as well. Verse 2 sounds like an earthquake. This is when the ground moves, and trees and buildings fall over. There are holes in the ground, and animals and people fall into them. All this was hard for David and his people to understand. Why did God let it happen? They felt as if they were drunk after drinking wine! Wine is a drink with alcohol in it. We still have earthquakes today.
We still do not know why this happened. The psalm does not tell us. But it does tell us that God did answer David and his people and he did give them help.
And what was "the Lily of the Covenant"? A lily is a very pretty flower. A covenant is what people have when they agree together. Bible students explain "the Lily of the Covenant" in two ways. Either it is the name of a piece of music that they could sing the words to. Or it is the name of a musical instrument that they could use to make music while they sang.
The word SELAH is another problem. It probably means a place for thinking about the words, or praying, or listening to music. When we say or sing the psalms today we do not stop at SELAH: maybe we ought to! But when we study the psalms, we must think about the words, and pray about them. Even when we do not understand them well, God can and does still speak to us through them. If he does, then the psalm will be as gold to us, because God’s words are still of very great value.
What Psalm 60 means
The psalm is in three parts. Verses 1 - 5 are the words of David. He asks God for an answer. Verses 6 - 8 are God’s answer. Verses 9 - 12 are again the words of David. Remember that the words before verse 1 are also part of the psalm. When the Jews say Psalm 60 in their synagogues they always say the words at the top also. A synagogue is where Jews meet, like a Christian church. Above explains some of the verses. Here we try to explain some of the other difficult parts.
Verse 1: Though the Edomites broke the walls, the Jews decided that God had sent them to do it. Edom was a country south-east of Jerusalem.
Verse 3: It was hard because they did not know why they were in trouble. When this happens to us, we must still ask God for help, as David did in verses 5 and 11.
Verse 4: A banner is a large piece of material with words or pictures on it. Soldiers would gather under their banner so that they would all be together. This verse is difficult for Bible students to understand. We are not sure what it means.
Verse 5: The right hand of God is how the Israelites described God doing something on earth.
Verses 6 – 8: The holy place is where God is. Perhaps it meant the temple in Jerusalem, or God’s home in heaven. The first 6 places are all parts of Israel. They all belong to God. He will decide what to do with them. They will have important jobs, like Ephraim and Judah. "Cover my head" probably means "be like a soldier" and "judge" means "decide what to do". Moab, Edom and Philistia were all enemies of Israel. They also belong to God, but they will have dirty jobs to do. God sees himself as a man. He needs somewhere to wash, and someone to pick his clothes up for him. Israel has the good things to do, but her enemies have bad things to do.
Verse 9: David is the speaker again. The strong city was the capital of Edom, Petra. David put Joab as leader of the army that went to fight Edom. David stayed with the other part of the army in Syria.
Verse 10: "Will you really not go with our armies?" means "I do hope that you WILL go with our armies".
Verse 11: David learned a lesson that we must all learn. "Help from men is of no value". It is of value if God sends the men or women to give help, but God must send them. God works through men and women to help his people. In the words of verse 5, he uses his right hand to answer us. His right hand could be anybody!
Verse 12: "Walk all over our enemies" is "trample over our enemies" in Hebrew. "Trample" means putting our feet down hard when we walk.
Something to do
Learn to say Psalm 60:11 by heart. (By heart means that you can say it without looking at the words.)
_o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
God, Give Us Help!
Psalm 60
Jesus said, "How can you go into the house of a strong man and take his things? You must first tie him up and then you can take his things". (Matthew 12:29)
Psalm 60
(This is) for the music leader. (He must use) "A Lily of the Covenant". (Psalm 60) is a miktam of David. It was to teach how:
• he fought armies in Mesopotamia
• he fought armies in Syria
• he sent Joab to Edom, where he killed 12 000 people in the Valley of Salt.
v1 (You have said) that you will not be our God any more and you have broken down our walls. Though you are angry, come back to us!
v2 You made the earth move and you tore it open. Mend its broken parts because it is falling to pieces.
v3 You showed hard things to your people. You made us drink wine that caused us to fall over.
v4 You lifted up a banner for the people that fear you. They will fight for what is true. SELAH
v5 Give us help so that the friends that you love will be safe. Use your right hand to answer us!
v6 - v8 God did answer us from his holy place! (He said):
• I will be the master
• I will make a parcel of Shechem
• I will measure the Valley of Succoth
• Gilead is mine
• Manasseh is mine
• Ephraim will cover my head
• Judah will judge for me
• Moab is my bathroom
• Edom is where I will throw my shoes
• Philistia will be something for me to laugh at.
v9 Who will lead me into the strong city? Who will take me in to Edom?
v10 (You have said) that you would not be our God any more. But God, will you really not go with our armies?
v11 Give to us help against the enemy, because help from men is of no value!
v12 With God we will beat everybody and walk all over our enemies.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 60
Psalm 60 is a miktam. A miktam is either something made of gold, or special teaching or something hidden. Bible students think that there is a story hidden in Psalm 60.
David was at war. He was a long way from home, near the River Euphrates. That means that he was in Babylon. The old name was Mesopotamia and the modern name is Iraq. 2 Samuel 8:3 tells us where he was. On the way home he fought the Syrians. While this was happening an old enemy of Israel called Edom attacked Jerusalem. David sent one of his soldiers with part of the army to fight the Edomites. They beat them and killed 12 000 of them. This happened in the Valley of Salt, near the Dead Sea.
David wrote the psalm because he thought that God had left him and his people. That is what David thought that the attack by Edom meant. The Edomites must have broken the walls of some of the towns in Israel. But something else must have happened as well. Verse 2 sounds like an earthquake. This is when the ground moves, and trees and buildings fall over. There are holes in the ground, and animals and people fall into them. All this was hard for David and his people to understand. Why did God let it happen? They felt as if they were drunk after drinking wine! Wine is a drink with alcohol in it. We still have earthquakes today.
We still do not know why this happened. The psalm does not tell us. But it does tell us that God did answer David and his people and he did give them help.
And what was "the Lily of the Covenant"? A lily is a very pretty flower. A covenant is what people have when they agree together. Bible students explain "the Lily of the Covenant" in two ways. Either it is the name of a piece of music that they could sing the words to. Or it is the name of a musical instrument that they could use to make music while they sang.
The word SELAH is another problem. It probably means a place for thinking about the words, or praying, or listening to music. When we say or sing the psalms today we do not stop at SELAH: maybe we ought to! But when we study the psalms, we must think about the words, and pray about them. Even when we do not understand them well, God can and does still speak to us through them. If he does, then the psalm will be as gold to us, because God’s words are still of very great value.
What Psalm 60 means
The psalm is in three parts. Verses 1 - 5 are the words of David. He asks God for an answer. Verses 6 - 8 are God’s answer. Verses 9 - 12 are again the words of David. Remember that the words before verse 1 are also part of the psalm. When the Jews say Psalm 60 in their synagogues they always say the words at the top also. A synagogue is where Jews meet, like a Christian church. Above explains some of the verses. Here we try to explain some of the other difficult parts.
Verse 1: Though the Edomites broke the walls, the Jews decided that God had sent them to do it. Edom was a country south-east of Jerusalem.
Verse 3: It was hard because they did not know why they were in trouble. When this happens to us, we must still ask God for help, as David did in verses 5 and 11.
Verse 4: A banner is a large piece of material with words or pictures on it. Soldiers would gather under their banner so that they would all be together. This verse is difficult for Bible students to understand. We are not sure what it means.
Verse 5: The right hand of God is how the Israelites described God doing something on earth.
Verses 6 – 8: The holy place is where God is. Perhaps it meant the temple in Jerusalem, or God’s home in heaven. The first 6 places are all parts of Israel. They all belong to God. He will decide what to do with them. They will have important jobs, like Ephraim and Judah. "Cover my head" probably means "be like a soldier" and "judge" means "decide what to do". Moab, Edom and Philistia were all enemies of Israel. They also belong to God, but they will have dirty jobs to do. God sees himself as a man. He needs somewhere to wash, and someone to pick his clothes up for him. Israel has the good things to do, but her enemies have bad things to do.
Verse 9: David is the speaker again. The strong city was the capital of Edom, Petra. David put Joab as leader of the army that went to fight Edom. David stayed with the other part of the army in Syria.
Verse 10: "Will you really not go with our armies?" means "I do hope that you WILL go with our armies".
Verse 11: David learned a lesson that we must all learn. "Help from men is of no value". It is of value if God sends the men or women to give help, but God must send them. God works through men and women to help his people. In the words of verse 5, he uses his right hand to answer us. His right hand could be anybody!
Verse 12: "Walk all over our enemies" is "trample over our enemies" in Hebrew. "Trample" means putting our feet down hard when we walk.
Something to do
Learn to say Psalm 60:11 by heart. (By heart means that you can say it without looking at the words.)
_o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 59
Go and teach all nations
Hungry Dogs
Psalm 59
Jesus said, "I will always be with you, even to the end of the world". (Matthew 28:20)
Psalm 59
(This is) for the music leader. (Use the music that we call) Do Not Destroy.
(It is) a miktam of David, when Saul sent (men) to watch his house and to kill him.
v1 My God, save me from my enemies. Make me strong against the people that are fighting me.
v2 Take me away from men that are doing evil and make me safe from men that kill other people.
v3 Look! They are waiting to kill me! Cruel men are planning together against me. LORD, (I have done) nothing against them and nothing wrong.
v4 (I have done) nothing wrong but they are getting ready to attack me. Get up and see (what they are doing)! Bring me help!
v5 For you are the LORD, a God with huge armies. Get up and punish the foreign nations. Do not be gracious to all these evil and false people. SELAH
v6 They come back to the city every evening. They go from place to place and growl like dogs.
v7 Look at their mouths ... dribbling! Swords come from their lips because (they think that) nobody will hear.
v8 But you, LORD, you will laugh at them. You will also laugh at foreign people.
v9 I will watch for you, My Strength. Because you, God, are My Fortress.
v10 My God, your kind love will come to meet me. God will show me (when he wins the battle against) my enemies.
v11 Do not kill them (yet), or my people will forget (them). Use your power to make them go from place to place. Our Shield and our Lord, you are stronger than they are so make them do it!
v12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, catch them in their pride. And (catch them) for the bad things that they say and the lies that they tell.
v13 Destroy them (now) because you are so angry (with them). Destroy them and finish their lives. Then people will know to the ends of the earth that God rules Jacob. SELAH
v14 They come back to the city every evening. They go from place to place and growl like dogs.
v15 They will go from place to place looking for food, and they will growl when they do not find any.
v16 But I will sing that you are My Strength. In the morning, I will shout about your kind love. Because you were My Fortress where I found shelter when I was in trouble.
v17 I will raise psalms to you, My Strength. Because you, God, are My Fortress, the God that will always show me your kind love.
Commentary
The Story of Psalm 59
David was a servant of King Saul. Many people liked David. Saul did not like this so he sent men to kill David. But David’s wife Michal gave him help to get out through a window. David then ran away, and the men did not find him. In the psalm, David says that these men were like dogs looking for food. The story is in 1 Samuel 19:8-18.
Many Bible students think that David wrote this psalm after he became king. That is why he talks about "foreign people". God not only gave David help to beat his enemies at home, but also in foreign countries. David saw that what happened with Saul's hungry dogs was also what happened with foreign enemies. So, he put both ideas into the one psalm. We must read the psalm carefully, or this will confuse us. We must see that there are two different groups of enemies.
What Psalm 59 means
We can study the psalm in two parts:
• verses 1-10 David is in danger and asks God for help
• verses 11-17 God sends help and makes David safe.
Verses 1 – 10: The psalm starts with a bit of the story from 1 Samuel 19. It says that this is a "miktam", which probably means "hidden meaning" or "special teaching". In verses 1 and 2 David asks God to take him away from his enemies and make him safe. At first, his enemy was Saul and his hungry dogs, but later it would be foreign armies as well. In verses 3 and 4 David tells God that these hungry dogs (they are really Saul’s secret police) are trying to kill him. But he also tells God that he, David, has done nothing wrong.
In verse 5 you will find both groups of enemies. Because God has huge armies, David asks God to punish his foreign enemies. This was after Saul was dead and David was king. Then he asks God not to be gracious (which means "kind") to evil and false people. These were Saul’s hungry dogs. They looked for David in the city after David had run away. This was at night. In verse 6 we read that they often did it, hoping to find David. In verse 7 they were like dogs waiting for someone to feed them, their mouths dripping with saliva while they looked at their food. (Saliva looks like water.) But their words are like swords as they say what they will do to David. They hope that nobody hears them, because most people like David. David was also talking about foreign enemies that came to fight him in the city where David was hiding. In verse 8 David says that God will laugh at them; this is because God will win the fight! In verses 9 and 10 David says that he will watch for God, whose kind love will come to meet him. Some Bible students translate "come to meet me" as "go before me". It was this "kind love" that gave David help to beat his enemies. The end of verse 10 is when David knew that this had happened.
Verses 11 – 17: In this part of the psalm, the fight is over. David has won. Before he was king, he had won against Saul and his secret police. After he was king he had won against foreign enemies. There are three important things in this part:
• In verses 11 - 13 David asks God to destroy the enemies slowly. Then everyone will know that God has punished them for what they said. The word "destroy" in verse 13 is "devour" in Hebrew. This means "eat as if you were very hungry". What the hungry dogs wanted to do to David, God would do to them!
• In verses 14 - 15 we find the dogs again. But now there is nothing for them! They do not dribble at the mouth, and no swords (cruel words) come from their mouths.
• In verses 16 - 17 David is so happy that he sings, shouts, and raises psalms to God. We could translate the Hebrew for ‘I will raise psalms to you’ as ‘I will psalm you’. A psalm is a song, sometimes telling God that we are weak, sometimes what we want God to do to our enemies. Here it tells God how great God is! It is a song of praise.
Something to do
1. Read Psalm 2. In Psalms 2 and 59 we see that God Rules OK!
2. Can you find 6 different names for God in Psalm 59? What do they all mean? You will find some help after Psalm 25 in this set of psalms.
3. Psalms 54-59 are Psalms of Imprecation. This means that there are verses in them that ask God to destroy our enemies. Read what is in Psalm 58 about Psalms of Imprecation. Then think about what Saint Paul wrote in Romans 12:19. "It is my job to punish people, says God. I will do it".
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Hungry Dogs
Psalm 59
Jesus said, "I will always be with you, even to the end of the world". (Matthew 28:20)
Psalm 59
(This is) for the music leader. (Use the music that we call) Do Not Destroy.
(It is) a miktam of David, when Saul sent (men) to watch his house and to kill him.
v1 My God, save me from my enemies. Make me strong against the people that are fighting me.
v2 Take me away from men that are doing evil and make me safe from men that kill other people.
v3 Look! They are waiting to kill me! Cruel men are planning together against me. LORD, (I have done) nothing against them and nothing wrong.
v4 (I have done) nothing wrong but they are getting ready to attack me. Get up and see (what they are doing)! Bring me help!
v5 For you are the LORD, a God with huge armies. Get up and punish the foreign nations. Do not be gracious to all these evil and false people. SELAH
v6 They come back to the city every evening. They go from place to place and growl like dogs.
v7 Look at their mouths ... dribbling! Swords come from their lips because (they think that) nobody will hear.
v8 But you, LORD, you will laugh at them. You will also laugh at foreign people.
v9 I will watch for you, My Strength. Because you, God, are My Fortress.
v10 My God, your kind love will come to meet me. God will show me (when he wins the battle against) my enemies.
v11 Do not kill them (yet), or my people will forget (them). Use your power to make them go from place to place. Our Shield and our Lord, you are stronger than they are so make them do it!
v12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, catch them in their pride. And (catch them) for the bad things that they say and the lies that they tell.
v13 Destroy them (now) because you are so angry (with them). Destroy them and finish their lives. Then people will know to the ends of the earth that God rules Jacob. SELAH
v14 They come back to the city every evening. They go from place to place and growl like dogs.
v15 They will go from place to place looking for food, and they will growl when they do not find any.
v16 But I will sing that you are My Strength. In the morning, I will shout about your kind love. Because you were My Fortress where I found shelter when I was in trouble.
v17 I will raise psalms to you, My Strength. Because you, God, are My Fortress, the God that will always show me your kind love.
Commentary
The Story of Psalm 59
David was a servant of King Saul. Many people liked David. Saul did not like this so he sent men to kill David. But David’s wife Michal gave him help to get out through a window. David then ran away, and the men did not find him. In the psalm, David says that these men were like dogs looking for food. The story is in 1 Samuel 19:8-18.
Many Bible students think that David wrote this psalm after he became king. That is why he talks about "foreign people". God not only gave David help to beat his enemies at home, but also in foreign countries. David saw that what happened with Saul's hungry dogs was also what happened with foreign enemies. So, he put both ideas into the one psalm. We must read the psalm carefully, or this will confuse us. We must see that there are two different groups of enemies.
What Psalm 59 means
We can study the psalm in two parts:
• verses 1-10 David is in danger and asks God for help
• verses 11-17 God sends help and makes David safe.
Verses 1 – 10: The psalm starts with a bit of the story from 1 Samuel 19. It says that this is a "miktam", which probably means "hidden meaning" or "special teaching". In verses 1 and 2 David asks God to take him away from his enemies and make him safe. At first, his enemy was Saul and his hungry dogs, but later it would be foreign armies as well. In verses 3 and 4 David tells God that these hungry dogs (they are really Saul’s secret police) are trying to kill him. But he also tells God that he, David, has done nothing wrong.
In verse 5 you will find both groups of enemies. Because God has huge armies, David asks God to punish his foreign enemies. This was after Saul was dead and David was king. Then he asks God not to be gracious (which means "kind") to evil and false people. These were Saul’s hungry dogs. They looked for David in the city after David had run away. This was at night. In verse 6 we read that they often did it, hoping to find David. In verse 7 they were like dogs waiting for someone to feed them, their mouths dripping with saliva while they looked at their food. (Saliva looks like water.) But their words are like swords as they say what they will do to David. They hope that nobody hears them, because most people like David. David was also talking about foreign enemies that came to fight him in the city where David was hiding. In verse 8 David says that God will laugh at them; this is because God will win the fight! In verses 9 and 10 David says that he will watch for God, whose kind love will come to meet him. Some Bible students translate "come to meet me" as "go before me". It was this "kind love" that gave David help to beat his enemies. The end of verse 10 is when David knew that this had happened.
Verses 11 – 17: In this part of the psalm, the fight is over. David has won. Before he was king, he had won against Saul and his secret police. After he was king he had won against foreign enemies. There are three important things in this part:
• In verses 11 - 13 David asks God to destroy the enemies slowly. Then everyone will know that God has punished them for what they said. The word "destroy" in verse 13 is "devour" in Hebrew. This means "eat as if you were very hungry". What the hungry dogs wanted to do to David, God would do to them!
• In verses 14 - 15 we find the dogs again. But now there is nothing for them! They do not dribble at the mouth, and no swords (cruel words) come from their mouths.
• In verses 16 - 17 David is so happy that he sings, shouts, and raises psalms to God. We could translate the Hebrew for ‘I will raise psalms to you’ as ‘I will psalm you’. A psalm is a song, sometimes telling God that we are weak, sometimes what we want God to do to our enemies. Here it tells God how great God is! It is a song of praise.
Something to do
1. Read Psalm 2. In Psalms 2 and 59 we see that God Rules OK!
2. Can you find 6 different names for God in Psalm 59? What do they all mean? You will find some help after Psalm 25 in this set of psalms.
3. Psalms 54-59 are Psalms of Imprecation. This means that there are verses in them that ask God to destroy our enemies. Read what is in Psalm 58 about Psalms of Imprecation. Then think about what Saint Paul wrote in Romans 12:19. "It is my job to punish people, says God. I will do it".
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 58
Go and teach all nations
Snakes That Will Not Listen
Psalm 58
Jesus said, "These people are like children that are sitting in the market place. They say to the other (children) there, 'We made music for you, but you did not dance'". (Matthew 11:16-17)
Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord, but do not do the things that I tell you (to do). (Luke 6:46)
Psalm 58
(This is) for the music leader. He must use (the music called) Do Not Destroy. (It is) a miktam of David.
v1 Do you rulers really say what is fair? Do you say what is right when you judge people?
v2 No! You do not! You think of evil in your heart. Your hands weigh out cruelty to the land.
v3 Wicked people are bad from their birth. From the womb, they start doing wrong and saying lies.
v4 Their poison is like the poison of a snake. They close their ears like a deaf cobra.
v5 It does not hear the voice of the charmer, however well he charms!
v6 God, break their teeth in their mouths! LORD, destroy the teeth of those lions!
v7, v8 May they:
• become weak and flow away like water
• be like grass that dies after people walk on it
• be like an abortion that people forget
• be like a child born dead that does not see the sun.
v9 Before their pots can feel (the heat of burning) wood I want God to blow them away, like the wind would in a bad storm.
v10 Righteous people will be very happy when (God) punishes (the wicked). They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked!
v11 People will say, "There is a reward for the righteous. There is a God that judges what happens on earth".
Commentary
The Story of Psalm 58
People are cruel to David. They are also cruel to other people in the land of Israel. This was probably when Saul was king of Israel. David asks God in this psalm to punish these wicked people. But he does not ask God to let him, David, punish them.
There are many places in the Book of Psalms where the psalmist prays that God will punish the wicked. The psalmist is the person that wrote the psalm. Psalms where the psalmist asks for bad things to happen to people we call Psalms of Imprecation. Other psalms of imprecation include parts of 5, 10, 17, 54, 55, 59, 69, 109 and 137. Christians have always found them hard to understand. The important thing to see is that the psalm asks God (not us) to punish people. Saint Augustine wrote 1 600 years ago that here, in this psalm, Christ was speaking to God through the psalmist. 60 years ago, a Christian whose name was Bonhoeffer wrote the same. He wrote "Christ prays the psalms". Both these men were writing about the Psalms of Imprecation. They tell us that because Jesus was human, he knows how we feel about cruel people. He prays to God (the judge) to punish these cruel people. A judge is someone that decides if a person is good or bad. Bonhoeffer wrote "a psalm can become our prayer only because it was Jesus’ prayer". If we want to do these bad things ourselves to wicked people, then that makes us bad. But if we ask God to punish them, then we are praying with Jesus!
What Psalm 58 means
It is a help to see the psalm in 4 parts:
• Verses 1 – 2: Human judges in Israel are bad.
• Verses 3 – 5: They have been bad from birth and will not listen to God.
• Verses 6 – 9: The Imprecation, or prayer that God will destroy the wicked judges.
• Verses 10 – 11: What everybody will say when this happens.
One important thing about Psalm 58 is this. Some of the verses are very hard to translate. Some Bible students say that they cannot translate at least one verse (the end of verse 9)! So if you read other Bible translations, you will find some of the verses very different. For that reason, it is the meaning that is important here, not what the words say.
The important word in verses 1 and 2 is "weigh" in verse 2. This is because the two verses are all about judges in courts of law. A court of law is where the judge says if people are good or bad, right or wrong. He says whether they have broken the laws (rules) of their country or not. If they have, he punishes them. The judge weighs the evidence (what people say) before he says whether people have broken the rules or not. We say that the judge weighs the evidence because in old pictures they drew weighing machines! We call them balances. On one side was the good evidence, on the other the bad. If the bad was heavier than the good then people had broken the rules! Here the judges themselves are bad. They do not weigh out justice (or what is fair), but injustice (or what is not fair). They punished the good people that had not broken the rules of the country. The judges did not have real balances, they thought about the evidence in their minds.
The important word in verses 3 - 5 is snake. "Wicked people" means the bad judges and leaders of verses 1 and 2. They have always been bad, from when they were very young. They are like snakes in two ways:
• they hurt and kill people like a snake hurts and kills people with its poison
• like all snakes, they are deaf, but also they will not obey the charmer.
These wicked people are not really deaf, rather, they will not listen to God. God is telling them to do good things, but they do not obey him. The charmer charms the deaf snake by moving about in front of it. Even when God shows them the right thing to do, they do not do it. God cannot "charm" them!
In verses 6 - 9 we find the imprecation, where David asks God to punish these bad people. In verse 6 David says that they are like lions. Because lions eat animals and people using their teeth, David asks God to break their teeth. Then they cannot eat anybody, or hurt anybody. If "break their teeth" sounds a bad thing to pray, remember that it means "stop them hurting good people". Verses 7, 8 and 9 are parts of the psalm where the Hebrew words are difficult (even impossible) to translate. I have put what I think the words mean. David wants the wicked judges to be like:
• water when you pour it on the ground ... soon it has gone
• grass that dies ... when a lot of people have walked on it
• a baby born much too early ... people throw it away and forget it
• a child born dead ... it will never see the sun.
These are all pictures that mean this. The wicked judges will die, and not hurt or kill people any more. The last picture is of a pot on a wood fire. David wants something to happen soon ... before the fire can warm the pot! He wants God to blow away the wicked judges like the wind blows things away in a bad storm. God does answers prayers like this. History gives us many examples. The thing to remember is this. "Soon" to God may be much longer than "soon" to us! To him 1000 years is just like a day, Psalm 90:4.
But, in the end, God will answer us when we pray. That will make good people very happy. We find this in verses 10-11. "They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked" is a line many people do not like. It just means that the wicked will die and the righteous will not! Some translations have "They will wash the blood of the wicked off their feet". Here, "the blood of the wicked" would be the bad things that the wicked judges did ... or weighed out ... to the good people. The word "reward" means that God will give something good to the people that have prayed to him and listened to him.
Something to do
1. If you have a Bible, look up these verses about snakes: Genesis 3:1-15; Matthew 3:1-12; Revelation 12:1-17.
2. If you are like David and people are not kind to you, then pray about it. Ask God to do something ... do not hurt or kill people yourself.
3. Read Psalm 7. Is it a Psalm of Imprecation?
4. Why are Matthew 11:16-17 and Luke 6:46 at the top of this Psalm?
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Snakes That Will Not Listen
Psalm 58
Jesus said, "These people are like children that are sitting in the market place. They say to the other (children) there, 'We made music for you, but you did not dance'". (Matthew 11:16-17)
Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord, but do not do the things that I tell you (to do). (Luke 6:46)
Psalm 58
(This is) for the music leader. He must use (the music called) Do Not Destroy. (It is) a miktam of David.
v1 Do you rulers really say what is fair? Do you say what is right when you judge people?
v2 No! You do not! You think of evil in your heart. Your hands weigh out cruelty to the land.
v3 Wicked people are bad from their birth. From the womb, they start doing wrong and saying lies.
v4 Their poison is like the poison of a snake. They close their ears like a deaf cobra.
v5 It does not hear the voice of the charmer, however well he charms!
v6 God, break their teeth in their mouths! LORD, destroy the teeth of those lions!
v7, v8 May they:
• become weak and flow away like water
• be like grass that dies after people walk on it
• be like an abortion that people forget
• be like a child born dead that does not see the sun.
v9 Before their pots can feel (the heat of burning) wood I want God to blow them away, like the wind would in a bad storm.
v10 Righteous people will be very happy when (God) punishes (the wicked). They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked!
v11 People will say, "There is a reward for the righteous. There is a God that judges what happens on earth".
Commentary
The Story of Psalm 58
People are cruel to David. They are also cruel to other people in the land of Israel. This was probably when Saul was king of Israel. David asks God in this psalm to punish these wicked people. But he does not ask God to let him, David, punish them.
There are many places in the Book of Psalms where the psalmist prays that God will punish the wicked. The psalmist is the person that wrote the psalm. Psalms where the psalmist asks for bad things to happen to people we call Psalms of Imprecation. Other psalms of imprecation include parts of 5, 10, 17, 54, 55, 59, 69, 109 and 137. Christians have always found them hard to understand. The important thing to see is that the psalm asks God (not us) to punish people. Saint Augustine wrote 1 600 years ago that here, in this psalm, Christ was speaking to God through the psalmist. 60 years ago, a Christian whose name was Bonhoeffer wrote the same. He wrote "Christ prays the psalms". Both these men were writing about the Psalms of Imprecation. They tell us that because Jesus was human, he knows how we feel about cruel people. He prays to God (the judge) to punish these cruel people. A judge is someone that decides if a person is good or bad. Bonhoeffer wrote "a psalm can become our prayer only because it was Jesus’ prayer". If we want to do these bad things ourselves to wicked people, then that makes us bad. But if we ask God to punish them, then we are praying with Jesus!
What Psalm 58 means
It is a help to see the psalm in 4 parts:
• Verses 1 – 2: Human judges in Israel are bad.
• Verses 3 – 5: They have been bad from birth and will not listen to God.
• Verses 6 – 9: The Imprecation, or prayer that God will destroy the wicked judges.
• Verses 10 – 11: What everybody will say when this happens.
One important thing about Psalm 58 is this. Some of the verses are very hard to translate. Some Bible students say that they cannot translate at least one verse (the end of verse 9)! So if you read other Bible translations, you will find some of the verses very different. For that reason, it is the meaning that is important here, not what the words say.
The important word in verses 1 and 2 is "weigh" in verse 2. This is because the two verses are all about judges in courts of law. A court of law is where the judge says if people are good or bad, right or wrong. He says whether they have broken the laws (rules) of their country or not. If they have, he punishes them. The judge weighs the evidence (what people say) before he says whether people have broken the rules or not. We say that the judge weighs the evidence because in old pictures they drew weighing machines! We call them balances. On one side was the good evidence, on the other the bad. If the bad was heavier than the good then people had broken the rules! Here the judges themselves are bad. They do not weigh out justice (or what is fair), but injustice (or what is not fair). They punished the good people that had not broken the rules of the country. The judges did not have real balances, they thought about the evidence in their minds.
The important word in verses 3 - 5 is snake. "Wicked people" means the bad judges and leaders of verses 1 and 2. They have always been bad, from when they were very young. They are like snakes in two ways:
• they hurt and kill people like a snake hurts and kills people with its poison
• like all snakes, they are deaf, but also they will not obey the charmer.
These wicked people are not really deaf, rather, they will not listen to God. God is telling them to do good things, but they do not obey him. The charmer charms the deaf snake by moving about in front of it. Even when God shows them the right thing to do, they do not do it. God cannot "charm" them!
In verses 6 - 9 we find the imprecation, where David asks God to punish these bad people. In verse 6 David says that they are like lions. Because lions eat animals and people using their teeth, David asks God to break their teeth. Then they cannot eat anybody, or hurt anybody. If "break their teeth" sounds a bad thing to pray, remember that it means "stop them hurting good people". Verses 7, 8 and 9 are parts of the psalm where the Hebrew words are difficult (even impossible) to translate. I have put what I think the words mean. David wants the wicked judges to be like:
• water when you pour it on the ground ... soon it has gone
• grass that dies ... when a lot of people have walked on it
• a baby born much too early ... people throw it away and forget it
• a child born dead ... it will never see the sun.
These are all pictures that mean this. The wicked judges will die, and not hurt or kill people any more. The last picture is of a pot on a wood fire. David wants something to happen soon ... before the fire can warm the pot! He wants God to blow away the wicked judges like the wind blows things away in a bad storm. God does answers prayers like this. History gives us many examples. The thing to remember is this. "Soon" to God may be much longer than "soon" to us! To him 1000 years is just like a day, Psalm 90:4.
But, in the end, God will answer us when we pray. That will make good people very happy. We find this in verses 10-11. "They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked" is a line many people do not like. It just means that the wicked will die and the righteous will not! Some translations have "They will wash the blood of the wicked off their feet". Here, "the blood of the wicked" would be the bad things that the wicked judges did ... or weighed out ... to the good people. The word "reward" means that God will give something good to the people that have prayed to him and listened to him.
Something to do
1. If you have a Bible, look up these verses about snakes: Genesis 3:1-15; Matthew 3:1-12; Revelation 12:1-17.
2. If you are like David and people are not kind to you, then pray about it. Ask God to do something ... do not hurt or kill people yourself.
3. Read Psalm 7. Is it a Psalm of Imprecation?
4. Why are Matthew 11:16-17 and Luke 6:46 at the top of this Psalm?
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Monday, May 01, 2006
Go and teach all nations - Psalm 57
Go and teach all nations
Danger!
Psalm 57
Everyone in the synagogue was very angry when they heard Jesus say these things. They got up and took him out of the city. They took him to the top of the hill that they had built their city on. They were going to throw him down. But Jesus just walked away from them and went on his way. (Luke 4:28-30)
Psalm 57
(This is) for the music leader. (He must use the music called) "Do not destroy". (This is) a miktam of David, when he ran away from Saul into the cave.
v1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me. I have looked for a place to hide in that is near to you. I will hide under the shadow of your wings until the danger is past.
v2 I will pray to God, the Most High God, to the God who will finish his plan for me.
v3 He will send (a word) from heaven and he will save me. He will stop the people that are trying to catch me. SELAH God will send me his kind love and his truth.
v4 There are lions all round me! I must lie down near man-eating animals! They are men and their teeth are like spears and arrows. Their tongues are like sharp swords.
v5 God, lift yourself up above the skies. Lift your glory above all the earth.
v6 (My enemies) put a net for my feet. I was very sad because of my trouble. They dug a hole in front of me, but they fell into it! SELAH
v7 God, I have decided to be yours always! I will sing your praises as well as I can!
v8 Wake up, harp and lyre. I will wake up the dawn!
v9 LORD, I will thank you in front of all the people. I will sing your praises everywhere.
v10 Your kind love is great. It is higher than the clouds. Your truth reaches to the skies.
v11 God, lift yourself up above the skies. Lift your glory above all the earth.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 57
Saul was king of Israel. David was one of his servants. David’s job was to make music when Saul was sad. This happened often. People liked David very much. Saul did not like this. He tried to kill David. David ran away. He hid in a cave. Saul did not find him. Bible students think that David wrote Psalm 57 at this time. They also think that he wrote it so that people could sing it to music that they called "Do not destroy". Psalm 57 is a miktam. This means that it had a hidden meaning, or had special teaching in it. There are two stories in the Bible about David hiding in a cave. One is in 1 Samuel 22, the other in 1 Samuel 24. We do not know which one this psalm is about.
What Psalm 57 means
The psalm is in two parts: verses 1 - 5 and verses 6 - 11. Both end with the words "God, lift yourself above the skies. Lift your glory above all the earth" (verses 5 and 11). God is already above the skies, in his home in heaven. These two verses mean "God, show everyone that you are Lord of everything".
Verses 1 – 5: Here David is asking God for help. He asks God to be gracious, or to "have mercy". (Look at Psalm 56.) He wants God to be kind to him and save him from Saul. In verse 1 he says that he will hide under the shadow of God’s wings. This is like a mother bird hiding her babies under her wings. She hides them from danger. This is a picture of God hiding David from danger. In verse 2 "his plan for me" means "all the things that God wants to happen to me". In verse 3 heaven is where God lives. His word is what he wants to happen. His truth is everything that he says. In verse 4 David sees Saul and all his other enemies as wild animals: they want to eat him like a lion eats smaller animals. "Their tongues are like swords" probably means the unkind things that they say. They hurt David.
Verses 6 – 11: Here David is thanking God because God saved him. Saul did not find David in the cave! In verse 8 David tells his harp and his lyre to wake up. This means that he has not made music on them. They have been quiet, or "asleep"! Now he wants them to make music to praise God. He will start so early in the morning that he will "wake up the dawn".
Something to do
Read Psalm 36. Is there anything in it that makes you think of Psalm 57?
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Danger!
Psalm 57
Everyone in the synagogue was very angry when they heard Jesus say these things. They got up and took him out of the city. They took him to the top of the hill that they had built their city on. They were going to throw him down. But Jesus just walked away from them and went on his way. (Luke 4:28-30)
Psalm 57
(This is) for the music leader. (He must use the music called) "Do not destroy". (This is) a miktam of David, when he ran away from Saul into the cave.
v1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me. I have looked for a place to hide in that is near to you. I will hide under the shadow of your wings until the danger is past.
v2 I will pray to God, the Most High God, to the God who will finish his plan for me.
v3 He will send (a word) from heaven and he will save me. He will stop the people that are trying to catch me. SELAH God will send me his kind love and his truth.
v4 There are lions all round me! I must lie down near man-eating animals! They are men and their teeth are like spears and arrows. Their tongues are like sharp swords.
v5 God, lift yourself up above the skies. Lift your glory above all the earth.
v6 (My enemies) put a net for my feet. I was very sad because of my trouble. They dug a hole in front of me, but they fell into it! SELAH
v7 God, I have decided to be yours always! I will sing your praises as well as I can!
v8 Wake up, harp and lyre. I will wake up the dawn!
v9 LORD, I will thank you in front of all the people. I will sing your praises everywhere.
v10 Your kind love is great. It is higher than the clouds. Your truth reaches to the skies.
v11 God, lift yourself up above the skies. Lift your glory above all the earth.
Comments
The Story of Psalm 57
Saul was king of Israel. David was one of his servants. David’s job was to make music when Saul was sad. This happened often. People liked David very much. Saul did not like this. He tried to kill David. David ran away. He hid in a cave. Saul did not find him. Bible students think that David wrote Psalm 57 at this time. They also think that he wrote it so that people could sing it to music that they called "Do not destroy". Psalm 57 is a miktam. This means that it had a hidden meaning, or had special teaching in it. There are two stories in the Bible about David hiding in a cave. One is in 1 Samuel 22, the other in 1 Samuel 24. We do not know which one this psalm is about.
What Psalm 57 means
The psalm is in two parts: verses 1 - 5 and verses 6 - 11. Both end with the words "God, lift yourself above the skies. Lift your glory above all the earth" (verses 5 and 11). God is already above the skies, in his home in heaven. These two verses mean "God, show everyone that you are Lord of everything".
Verses 1 – 5: Here David is asking God for help. He asks God to be gracious, or to "have mercy". (Look at Psalm 56.) He wants God to be kind to him and save him from Saul. In verse 1 he says that he will hide under the shadow of God’s wings. This is like a mother bird hiding her babies under her wings. She hides them from danger. This is a picture of God hiding David from danger. In verse 2 "his plan for me" means "all the things that God wants to happen to me". In verse 3 heaven is where God lives. His word is what he wants to happen. His truth is everything that he says. In verse 4 David sees Saul and all his other enemies as wild animals: they want to eat him like a lion eats smaller animals. "Their tongues are like swords" probably means the unkind things that they say. They hurt David.
Verses 6 – 11: Here David is thanking God because God saved him. Saul did not find David in the cave! In verse 8 David tells his harp and his lyre to wake up. This means that he has not made music on them. They have been quiet, or "asleep"! Now he wants them to make music to praise God. He will start so early in the morning that he will "wake up the dawn".
Something to do
Read Psalm 36. Is there anything in it that makes you think of Psalm 57?
__o
Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
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