Sermon Tone Analysis

Dear Congregation:

A text without a context is a pretext.

Come to see the superscriptions of these Psalms as important to the final form arrived in at exile.

But how is it that we have a Psalm of David in Book 4. Has it been shaped for the time in exile?

Have you ever had a friend and family that was pretty much perfect?

At least they thought they were?

We have trouble relating to such people.

In fact, when someone goes through a struggle that we have - say cancer, death of loved one, addiction, fallen the way we have, experienced divorce in family - all of a sudden we have more compassion, empathy.

One of the wonders of jesus, though perfect, tempted and faced weaknes in every way we do - type of Saviour not afraid to call sinners brother/sister!

Well congretgatino this Psalm summarizes the two greatest sins of the OT - sin of David, and teh sin of the whole nation of Israel in the wilderness with the golden calf - and as this Psalm is brought to God’s peole in exile in final form in Book IV - declaration that should give you the same feeling, as finding out a friend has struggled with you.

IN exile - any hope for us, and the Psalm designed to say - yes even for you and me when we have fallen into the worst of our sin, but it is the reason why that should knock our socks off!

A. The Context of a Psalm of David

A text without a context is a pretext.

Come to see the superscriptions of these Psalms as important to the final form arrived in at exile.

But how is it that we have a Psalm of David in Book 4. Has it been shaped for the time in exile?

Editor of Psalms - Davidic in what sense - some directly wrote, some wrote and musicians performed, some commissioned … ie.

Temple hymn writing team of three prophet hymn writers overseeing teams of Levites - … Asaph with 4 sons, Jeduthun with six, and Heman with 14.

Each of these sons was an expert instrumentalist and had a mini ensemble of eleven other instrutmentalists working with him = a catlogue of hymns for tempole worship \ 288 musicians of 24 teams of 12 each.

Editor of Psalms - Davidic in what sense - some directly wrote, some wrote and musicians performed, some commissioned … ie.

Temple hymn writing team of three prophet hymn writers overseeing teams of Levites - … Asaph with 4 sons, Jeduthun with six, and Heman with 14.

Each of these sons was an expert instrumentalist and had a mini ensemble of eleven other instrutmentalists working with him = a catlogue of hymns for tempole worship \ 288 musicians of 24 teams of 12 each.

David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals.

The list of those who did the work and of their duties was:

Continued to oversee production:

= why David was called the sweet psalmist of Israel , - "ghostwriters' so to speak, aiding him in what was fudnametntally his own responsibility!

- Others helped David and his heirs in production of Psalms for worship but the whole collection is rightly called "the Psalms of David" = because they all speak in the king's voice - don't assume king in Israel primarily a political role - kingship involved a sacral office - led worship procession , lead sacrficies on holy days, interceded before God = meidators in worship - "sweet psalmist of Israel - not affirming musical - a sstatement of his royal title

= King's job to lead congregation in singing and to do so with his own songs… ie Moses, …Moses to

Joshua = first job lead in song together…

Joshua at Aijalon Valley = joshua 10:12-13, Solomon, King Hezekiah… , Deborah,

Peter says David wrote the Psalms kwoning that God had promised the Christ would come from his line… = Psalms written out of the experience of David and his heirs, but with deeper awareness of coming Son of David! = from the beginning composed for Jesus!

B. The Context of This Psalm of David in Book IV

Context of Psalter = Book 4 -= answer to question is promise of God for a king gone forever - exilic?

… enthronement psalms as answer… specifically show in historic psalms that God reigned without a king - not left - ie Moses, Enthronement ) , but , linked to first and last verse of Psal 104 = 104 praise of God's perfect creation, a paraphrase of Genesis; then - Story of Israel from patriarchs, Abr to slavery in Egypt …the exodus; then 106 which concludes book four, recounting the sins of Israel in the wilderness = Sad story of how israel repsonded to creation, redemption from Egypt - How did they respond - one act of rebellion after another, sin upon sin, idolatry, mixingwith thenations, sacrficing their children to Canaanite gods…

This is the situation when the whole book of Psalms edited and put together… Israel was in exile in Babylon… Now I got to ask you why would they put this Psalm of David so closely integrally to , after the enthronement Psalms?

The answer is that - even without a king, even in them midst of rebellion punishment, God is still on His throne, those who turn to Him in faith, they will find Him a refuge , Book Four - even if have to go through discipline, suffering, struggle - enthronement Psalm - God reigns!

But at the heart of the book what is the theme that God's people need in exile, you and I need in suffering, discipline - what word repeated more than any other key word of the Psalm - HESED - steadfast love v.17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting!

AWAKEN UNBOUDNED PRAISE By Singing the Song of Steadfast Love!!

This is the one thing makes God's people different than all others on earth - their experience of the Lord's HESED, His steadfast love!

A joke is told of man who thought he heard Lord was returning on a certain date, thought better get rich before then - went to the Horse track - saw priest - blessing a horse… Must be a Protestant can't tell the difference between last rites, and a blessing!

Can others tell the difference in our lives - no matter how much struggle, suffering, disicpline, falls down we have, can they tell the difference between whether the we are expeiriencing the life giving soul nourishing, joy producing love of God; or just monaoing and gronaing and laughing and joking wwith the rest of the world - without experiencing God love that changes everythign?

occurring 127 times in the Psalter out of 245 times in the whole Old Testament.

Since the Psalms constitute less than 8 percent of the Old Testament, yet contain more than half the uses of hesed, you can see how significant it is in the theology of the Psalms.

In it occurs four times: in verses 4, 8, 11, and 17.

So central is hesed to this psalm that one commentator4 has dubbed it “the Song of Songs of Grace.”

The psalm gives us a model for keeping God's love central in our experience and life.

Picture it like five concentric circles… like a stone thrown into a pool of water - waves, ripples spread out from the inside - until we have a life , day by day moving all around in the love of God!

The circles move from - me, my soul, to God's people v.5-10 = pl our sins, God's delaing with us; then general announcement to the world of this love in v.6-14, fourth circle - calls us to see how brief and fragile our livfe is short and transitory, but in light of God's love being secure and eternal, in .v15-19

ripples goes out as a guarantee of descendants who will feAR God by coming ounder the new reign of Messiah as he is installed in heaven!

and then lastly ,, the cosmoos from angels in heaven, to us on earth, to stars, trees - to rejoicein his love!

Don't you want ot live overflowing with love of God like thas, seeing creation burst with God's love?

Song of steadfast love!

But like many great movements - got to begin grassroots, act locally before you can think globally .

Like charity - true meaning of the word is loving-kindness - must begin in home..

So locally - got to begin in your own soul!

I. King David Models how to Centre Your Soul in Grace

V1B all that is within me, bless his holy name! - literally my inwards.

Interesting discussion on whether God has emotions, - ceratinly clear doesn't have fickle passions - But in biblical pyschology -literally sutdy of the soul, in the OT one's thoughts, decisions, and meotions - are associated deep dwon inside the bowels of a person (literally his heart, kidneys, intenstine).

See what David is doing here - when we start to pray - stir yourself up to give yourself entirley to God in worship = whole hearted… You know when your heart is engaged in a sporting event - stand up shouting, screamiong, dancing - high fiving; how can you tell if you are negaged with living God in worship?

What activity is your heart, soul, mind doing - bless - Pharmicist how can you bless Lord, Van Til full bucket - doesn't need it - but honoured and engaged by t - Lift up his countenance upon you - look at God as smiling baby into face of a mother!

V1B all that is within me, bless his holy name! - literally my inwards.

Interesting discussion on whether God has emotions, - ceratinly clear doesn't have fickle passions - But in biblical pyschology -literally sutdy of the soul, in the OT one's thoughts, decisions, and meotions - are associated deep dwon inside the bowels of a person (literally his heart, kidneys, intenstine).

See what David is doing here - when we start to pray - stir yourself up to give yourself entirley to God in worship = whole hearted… You know when your heart is engaged in a sporting event - stand up shouting, screamiong, dancing - high fiving; how can you tell if you are negaged with living God in worship?

What activity is your heart, soul, mind doing - bless - Pharmicist how can you bless Lord, Van Til full bucket - doesn't need it - but honoured and engaged by t - Lift up his countenance upon you - look at God as smiling baby into face of a mother!

He warns when you come into the land, Deut - think by your smarts,goodness, your got blessing - because of my love!

Warning don't forget all His benefits.

Can't see our cup half empty - count yoru blessings…name them one by one…

That's

catalogue your spiritual and temporal blessing.

Older we get more we forget, write things down.

GTD management - if can't get something done in 2 min.. Write it down - end of the day, beginnign of day reveiew that list - Day Life reveiew and thank the LORD

David does doesn't he: List five of them.

When is the last time your prayer didn't have 5 or 6 peittions.

But acutaully out loud thanked God for five things.

4Huge things - all connected to the first one he lists:

i. Forgave my iniquity, healed me, redeemed me from the pit, crowned me with stadfast love and mercy, renewed his strength like an eagles!

Wayin which I think ii.

healing of body all diseaes willc ome in Christ, but tied particularly to remission of sin, job of the Messiah, carried our sin, heals us - from the consequences.

iii.

Redeemed - literally Nathan had to tell David - you deserve to die - destinty ought to be the pit - david thought of that I deseerve hell - … recalls how he suffered and it seems bodily too - connection in some way… headed for Sheol - but for forgiveness and loving kindness -

iv.

Crowned - most of us don't go through life feeling like we've be crowned - either like little checker pieces - not important, trugdge through, ; or like stolen crowened king - lets say three -independna tin contorl self centreed - distorts our viision - everyone else ; But David recalls truly crowned - sin forgiven , adopted by God with no condemnation - crown of klove and mercy - don't long to be crown others - yes differences, yes past that hurts, yes … but love and mercy wins!

v. Renewal of the holy Spriti - revived his soul - I can't wait till my body is refreshed like eagles…but already MY SOUL - …like old person who is a child inside …

Do you see it then, this is justifying, redeeming, and renewing grace all in one!

But the ripple goes out further, not just individuals expereince God's steadfast love, called us as a community, a saved comuntiy , a community experiencing Grace (6-10)

II.

Moses & Israel model how we Must Experience God's Love in Community

If in David's life have the worst instance of sin in the OT, equally heinous was the sin of the children of Israel - Aaron - idol… so quickly, like after flood, still heart on wickedness…Must go up and get second set of tablets, his prayer was make known to me Your way - What is the way of the LORD - supremely -forgiveness!

Like Pastor end of his life - make forgivness theme!

Do you get that the ways Lord revealed not - first of all moral code,, but God's way with His people according to the promsie, according to Grace! = the procedure of his righteousness is not regulated according t our sins, but according to His purpose of mercy!

Keil-Delitzsch.

Do you get that the ways Lord revealed not - first of all moral code,, but God's way with His people according to the promsie, according to Grace! = the procedure of his righteousness is not regulated according t our sins, but according to His purpose of mercy!

Keil-Delitzsch.

… hear's most significant theologial statement of the Bible … THAT

God prepared to forgiven worst sins, our response necessarily is then prayer and penitence … v.9 will not chide, - keep a grudge… how long can you keep one…time doesn't erarse decision to forgive does… = God is so easy to be reconciled with, so ready to pardon!

Has this transacted with you..

Has this transacted with you..

Psalkm 103:10-11 - how is it possible - he has dealt with our sin …covenant not to remember them in way to hold them against us… guilt, offense, shame - removed..

Because dealt with Christ Lamb way our sins deserve = God's mercy towardfs us is infinite!

He will interpose, infitinte power of his mercy, complete unreserevedness!

So gentle in our frailty!