Because David is the author of so many Psalms, we'll be reading these interchangeably with other books of History from The Bible. At first glance, it might seem that the Psalms are merely beautiful poems or songs of praise, but captured in each one is an abundance of theology. They tell us about God. They point to the power with which He created the universe, and also the nearness and tenderness that He has in caring for each one of us.

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Today's Reading: Psalm 31, 34, 52, 56, 120, 140-142

Scripture Read or Referenced:

Psalm 31:1-5, 14-16, 19

Psalm 23:3

Psalm 34 (all)

Psalm 56:8-11

Matthew 10:26

Psalm 120:6-7

Psalm 140:12-13

Psalm 142:1-7

Psalm 141:1-4, 8

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Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary, Spurgeon's Treasury of David

This is the Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

2

I'm Stephanie Hickox, we're covering

scripture in a chronological manner,

3

which means that we're reading

about things as they happened.

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And because David is the author

of so many psalms, we'll be

5

reading these interchangeably

with other books of history

6

at first glance, it might seem that

the Psalms are merely beautiful poems

7

or songs of praise, but captured in

each one is an abundance of theology.

8

They tell us about God.

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They point to the power with which

he created the universe, and also

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the nearness and tenderness that he

has and caring for each one of us

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these are great passages to meditate

upon with our kids, and as you read

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them together, you can say, what

does this psalm tell us about God?

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And what can we learn about his

character when we read this?

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I'm particularly excited.

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To dig into the Book of Psalms because

I was given The Treasury of David,

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authored by Charles Hadden Spurgeon.

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He was a famous British

pastor, though he became known

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as the Prince of Preachers, he

had no formal biblical training.

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He began preaching at age 15 and was

pastoring his own church by 17, he

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fervently studied and researched

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The way that he wrote and spoke

about God's word is glorious.

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It literally makes your soul rejoice

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I am gonna read this little section that

he wrote about Psalm 31, because it's a

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great reminder as we read all of Psalms.

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He says, some have thought that

the occasion of this psalm was

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the treachery in one Samuel 2311.

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And we have felt much

inclined to this conjecture.

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But after reflection, it seems that

its mournful tone and allusion to

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the iniquity demands a later date.

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It is well to have no

settled season mentioned.

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Or we might have been so busy applying

it to David's case that we forget.

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Its suitability to our own.

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With that, let's look at the

beginning of Psalm 31 in you.

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Oh, Lord, do I take refuge?

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Let me never be put to

shame in your righteousness.

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Deliver me and climb your ear to me.

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Rescue me speedily.

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Be a rock of refuge for me.

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A strong fortress to save me for

you are my rock and my fortress.

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And for your namesake,

you lead me and guide me.

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You take me out of the net

that they have hidden for me.

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For you are my refuge into your hand.

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I commit my spirit.

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You have redeemed me.

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Oh Lord.

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Faithful God.

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after David describes the

adversity he's been facing and the

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physical toll it's taking on him

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he rallies in verse

14, but I trust in you.

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Oh Lord.

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I say, you are my God.

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My times are in your hand.

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Rescue me from the hand of my

enemies and from my persecutor.

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Make your face shine on your servant.

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Save me in your steadfast love.

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Oh Lord, let me not be put

to shame for I call upon you.

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And in verse 19, oh, how abundant is

your goodness, which you have stored

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up for those who fear you and worked

for those who take refuge in you, in

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the sight of the children of mankind.

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In verse two, when David says,

incline your ear to me, some

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translated bow down your ear to me.

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It's a bold request from a child knowing

they have a father willing to listen.

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And it also makes me think of those

times my kids are like, mom, look at me.

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No, really?

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Look.

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And they want my full attention.

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David says, be to me a rock of refuge.

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And this refers to first Samuel

23 that we read the other day.

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David was on one side of the

mountain and Saul was on the

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other side closing in on him.

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But at just the right moment,

a messenger Came to Saul saying

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that the Philistines had attacked,

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so Saul stops pursuing

David and heads home.

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This place became known as the

Rock of Escape because David

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got to watch the protection of

the Lord in his life once again.

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I particularly love verse three For

your namesake, lead me and guide me.

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It's reminiscent of Psalm 23 when

David says, lead me in paths of

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righteousness for your namesake.

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Over the last couple years,

that's been one of the most

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common things that I've prayed.

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Whether I'm in a difficult situation and

asking the Lord to help me bring him on

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or through it, or when I'm in times of

abundance and I want the Lord to maintain

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my dependence upon And in verse 19, how

abundant is your goodness, which you

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have stored up for those who fear you.

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It is like a parent with an entire

closet full of gifts that they're

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just waiting to give their child.

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God has goodness stored up for you.

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And this verse says that he works it in

the sight of the children of mankind.

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God actually wants your kids to see

the good things he's doing for you

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And to bless you all as you fear him,

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David is confident that even in

the midst of these trials, God

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has good things for his future.

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I,

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as we look to Psalm 34, now,

I'll read it in its entirety.

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We believe David wrote this right

after he acted insane before a

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bialek, the king of the Philistines,

in order to save his life.

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I will bless the Lord at all times.

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His praise shall

continually be in my mouth.

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My soul makes its boast in the Lord.

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Let the humble hear and be

glad, oh, magnify the Lord with

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me and let us exalt his name.

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Together I sought the Lord and he answered

me and delivered me from all my fears.

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Those who look to him are radiant and

their faces shall never be ashamed.

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This poor man cried and the Lord heard

him and saved him out of all his troubles.

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the angel of the Lord, encamps around

those who fear him and delivers them.

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Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

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Blessed is the man who

takes refuge in him.

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Oh, fear the Lord you his saints.

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For those who fear him, have no lack.

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The young lions suffer, want and hunger.

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But those who seek, the Lord lack no.

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Good thing come O children, listen to me.

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I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

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What man is there who desires life and

loves many days that he may see good?

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Keep your tongue from evil and

your lips from speaking deceit.

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Turn away from evil and do good.

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Seek peace and pursue it.

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The eyes of the Lord are toward the

righteous and his ears toward their cry.

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The face of the Lord is against

those who do evil to cut off the

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memory of them from the earth.

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When the righteous cry for help,

the Lord hears and delivers

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them out of all their troubles.

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The Lord is near to the broken hearted

and saves the Christian spirit.

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Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

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He keeps all his bones,

not one of them is broken.

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Affliction will slay the wicked.

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And those who hate the

righteous will be condemned.

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The Lord redeems the life of his servants.

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None of those who take refuge

in him will be condemned.

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What beautiful promises we have,

verse eight is very familiar.

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Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

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We've talked in depth about our

commandment to not make idols of the

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Lord or make any image of him, but we are

invited to taste and see his goodness.

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It is remarkable that though David

is on the move running for his life

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over and over, he acknowledges that

God has good things for his people,

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but he also points point To the

kindness of the Lord to draw near to the

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broken hearted and save those crush in

spirit, he hears when we cry for help.

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Did you notice the Messianic prophecy

there about Jesus in verse 20?

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He keeps all his bones and

not one of them is broken.

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Even though it was common in crucifixions

to break the legs, God ordained

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that this would not happen to Jesus.

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Next.

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We believe David wrote Psalm 56 when

he'd been captured by the Philistines.

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My favorite portion are

verses eight through 11.

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You have kept count of my tossings,

put my tears in your battle.

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Are they not in your book?

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Then my enemies will turn

back in the day when I call.

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This, I know that God is for me

and God whose word I praise in

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the Lord whose word I praise and

God I trust I shall not be afraid.

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What can man do to me?

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Perhaps this makes you think of when

Jesus said, do not be afraid of those who

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harm the body but cannot harm the soul.

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We can trust

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in the God who rescued

our souls from death.

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We're not quite as confident

that David wrote Psalm 120, but

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there's a strong possibility.

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It's a song of ascent.

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Which means that the Jewish

people would've recited it as

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they climbed the elevation to

Jerusalem for those annual feast.

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And I just have to giggle

a little bit when I read

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Speaker 37: verses six and

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Speaker 40: seven because it makes

me think about a husband coming

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home from work and his wife saying

this to him about the children.

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Hmm.

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Too long have I had my dwelling.

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Among those who hate

peace, I am for peace.

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But when I speak, they are for war.

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Have you had those days when your kids are

at each other's throats and you feel like

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you've spent your entire day as a referee?

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That's what that reminds me of.

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And in case you feel like that's

your house, I'm gonna link an episode

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on managing sibling conflict, that was

really helpful from the, again, podcast.

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You don't have to read too far in the

Psalms to realize that David speaks

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strong words against his enemies.

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But as Spurgeon comments, David

is often hot in his words,

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but very calm in his actions.

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Speaker 5: As he repeatedly

spared Saul's life.

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We can tell David pours out all of

his emotions to the Lord and then asks

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God to guide him in righteousness.

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And we can admire his surrender

in verses 12 and 13 of

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Speaker 38: Psalm one 40.

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Speaker 5: I know that the Lord will

maintain the cause of the afflicted

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and will execute justice for the needy.

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Surely the righteous shall

give thanks to your name.

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the upright shall dwell in your presence.

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There's that theme again, of

dwelling in God's presence.

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David knows this is his greatest treasure

and even on the run for his life, if

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God goes with him, he can sustain it.

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As we dwell with the Lord, he calls

us to pour out our hearts before him,

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and we see that pattern in Psalm 1 42

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with my voice.

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I cry out to the Lord with my voice.

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I plead for mercy to the Lord.

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I pour out my complaint before him.

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I tell my trouble before him.

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I cry out to you a Lord.

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I say, you are my refuge, my portion in

the land of the living attend to my cry.

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For I am brought very low.

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Deliver me for my persecutor,

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for they are too strong for me.

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Bring me out of prison that I

may give thanks to your name.

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The righteous will surround me for

you, will deal bound to fully with me.

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Even when we're rejected by man or

hiding in a cave like David was,

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we can have hope in the God who

is our refuge and our portion.

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Let me close pranks and verses from

Psalm 1 41 over you and your families.

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Oh Lord, we call upon you.

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Hasten to us and give ear to

our voices when we call to you.

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Let our prayers rise as incense before

you set a guard over our mouths,

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and over our children's mouths.

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Keep watch over the door of our lips.

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Do not let our hearts incline

to any evil, or let us busy

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ourselves with wicked deeds.

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Or walk in the company of

others who choose inequity.

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May our eyes be ever toward

you, God, and may we seek our

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refuge and our defense in you.

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Thank you that you are a God

that has stored up goodness for

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us, that our children may see.

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I ask that you would help us to

recognize your goodness, be faithful

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to proclaim it to our families, and let

our hearts be filled with the delight

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that comes from dwelling with you.

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It's in the name of our joy giving Savior.

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Jesus Christ we pray.

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Amen.