SUPERSCRIPT: A Psalm of David.
Good theology is fundamental to prayer. God responds to His own handwriting. Show God His handwriting!
This Psalm, like so many Psalms is a personal prayer to God. It clearly is a prayer attributed to his later years, for he prays in 25:7 “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions…”.
This is an acrostic poem.[1] The
22 verses of this Psalm in the original begin each begin with a letter of the
Hebrew alphabet. This is an aid to memorisation.
We are not sure what
the occasion is. He has to deal with his enemies (vv.2,19) as well as his own sin (vv.7,11,18) and vulnerability (let me not be put to shame vv.2,20)
and personal trials such
as a sense of loneliness,
affliction, a troubled heart, distress (vv.16-18).
We do not discern a
particular structure in this prayer. If
we follow the Psalm we see the
following …
1. 25:1-3 David confidently trusts in God when assailed
by his enemies.
2. 25:4-5
David desires to be led in the way of truth.
3. 25:6-7
David desires that God would deal with
him in mercy.
4. 25:8-9
David reaffirms his belief that God will guide those who trust Him.
5. 25:10 David
affirms God’s covenantal kindness
6. 25:11 David asks to be pardoned of his sin.
7. 25:12-15
David affirms that God will instruct and guide those who fear Him.
8. 25:16-21 David pleads
with God for deliverance from all trouble.
9. 25:22
David pleads for God’s redemption of Israel, the people of God.
If we stand back and survey the Psalm as a whole, this is actually a wonderful study in praying the attributes of God – reminding ourselves of who God is and what He is like. God’s attributes are the characteristics which define God, which explain what God is like.
The attributes of God gleaned from
this Psalm are the following….
1.
God can be trusted. (v.2)
2.
God is faithful (v.3)
3.
God speaks truth (vv.4-5)
4.
God is a Saviour (v.5)
5.
God’s is merciful and covenantally loving (vv. 6,11)
6.
God is good and upright (v.8)
7.
God is forgiving (vv.11,18)
8.
God is
the instructor of the God fearing
(vv.12- 14)
9.
God is our deliverer (vv.15,17)
10.
God is gracious (v.16).
11.
God is the guardian of our soul and our refuge
(v.20)
In prayer remind yourself of God’s attributes. The better you know God the more confidence and boldness you will show in your prayer. There are a number of subjects, which flow freely from David’s heart. Remember that this is a prayer, and prayer does not always follow a structure. It is like water gushing from a spring and running from the heart and the lips. This is a wonderful study in heartfelt prayer to God. Let’s learn from David. Let’s see how this Psalm helps us to find our rest in God when we travel on this highway called life, through many perplexities and against the background of our own sinfulness, vulnerabilities and personal trials.
David faces two common sets of troubles: the trouble that comes from the outside and the trouble that comes from within. Troubles without and fears within! (2 Corinthians 7:5)
1. Troubles without
David is struggling because his life or his reputation is in danger. He is facing real enemies - See verses 2 &19. David’s life is far from being a tame existence. Your life as a Christian is not a tame existence. You will be familiar with the pounding heart and the sweaty hands as you must face life in a fallen world.
2. Fears within
(ii) David feels the inward weight of past sin (vv.7,11,18), and far from forgetting the sins of his youth he vividly remembers these. Look at verse 17 again: "The troubles of my heart are enlarged."
Outward and inward
trials have the ability to deeply unsettle our souls. The ground under our feet
seems shaky. We feel as if we lose our bearings. We feel uncertain. We feel as
if God is far away. What do we need most at such a time?
Prayer!
There are at least 18
petitions in this Psalm.
The definition of a petition is to make a request. So when we
come to God in petition we are asking Him to do something - either for
ourselves or others. [See the petitions
in the Lord’s prayer - Matthew 6:9-13]
Petitions
· Let me not be put to shame…
· Let not my enemies exult over me …
· Make me to know your ways O Lord… teach me your paths; lead me in your truth and teach me…
· Remember your mercy… and your steadfast love …
· Remember not the sins of my youth…
- etc.
David comes to God with his outer and inner challenges and he pleads with God to help him, to lead him in His ways, his paths, his truth (vv.4&5)
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM DAVID’S PRAYER ?
David’s prayer rests on...
· the nature of God’s character (see attributes)
· but in particular God’s mercy and steadfast love (v.6)
· The fact that God loves and instructs the contrite sinner (v.8) in heart – the humble (v.9); those who fear God receive His instruction, friendship (vv. 12,14).
RESULTS
Faith in God as expressed in prayer is the way to spiritual stability. Faith is informed by good theology.
The counsel that you hear in Psalm 25 is . . .
1. Being a man woman of God does not exempt you from outward and inward trouble.
2. When you are assailed from without and within you should come to God in prayer and petition and bring all your struggles with no hesitation.
3. Be prepared to wait on God for the answer to your prayer (vv.3,5,21) Waiting on God implies acceptance of His timing in His wisdom.
4. Be completely humble and transparent before God. Confess sin. Fear God
5. Stand on the revealed character of God. Learn to know His attributes. Pray them.
[1]
Other acrostic uses are found in Psalms
34; 37; 111:1-10; 112:1-10; 119; 145. Proverbs 31:10-32; the Lamentations of Jeremiah, except the last
chapter. In the Psalm before us, the general order of the Hebrew alphabet is
observed, with the following exceptions: the two first verses commence with the
Hebrew letter א ('), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet; while the second
letter, ב (b), is omitted. The Hebrew letters, ו (w) and ק (q), are also
omitted, while two verses begin with the Hebrew letter ר (r), and at the close
of the psalm, after the Hebrew letter ת (t), the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet
- another verse is added, beginning with the Hebrew letter פ (p). We cannot
account for these variations.
No comments:
Post a Comment