Carefully Examining the Text

This is a wisdom psalm. It focuses on teaching men more than it does on praising God. It uses the word "proverb" in vs. 4 that is found in the book of Proverbs. It has similarities to the book of Ecclesiastes. Compare Psalm 49:10 to Ecclesiastes 2:12-23 and Psalm 49:12 perishing like the beasts to Ecclesiastes 3:18-21.

49:1-4 A message for all to hear
49:1 This is directed to all and not exclusively to Israel. 

49:5-12 All will die and no man will redeem  his own life
49:6 Some boasted and trusted in their riches. The proper object of our hope and trust is God but many put their trust in the wrong place.
49:5, 16 Apparently the rich and their prosperity was a threat to those who read this psalm.
49:7, 7, 8, 15 The word redeem or redemption plays a key  role in the psalm. There is not enough money to redeem out life from the grave.
49:9 Notice the contrast between living eternally and not undergoing decay. 
49:10 All will die, wise and foolish alike.
49:12, 20 form a refrain

49:13-15 The contrast between the righteous and the wicked.
The wicked have death as their shepherd but the righteous will be redeemed by God from the power of Sheol.

49:16-20 The wicked die and carry nothing

Jesus and Psalm 49
1. Jesus is a profound wisdom teacher who speaks truth- Psalm 49:4
2. "But God" - Psalms 49:15; Ephesians 2:4
3. Jesus did not undergo decay- Psalm 49:9; 16:10- Acts 2:27-31; 13:33-37.
4. Jesus can redeem our souls- Psalm 48:7-8, 15

This is sometimes called a Zion psalm.
This psalm focuses on the city- 48:1, 2, 8, 8- Mt. Zion- 48:2, 11- Zion- 48:12- temple- 48:9.

But the ultimate focus of the city is on God- His greatness- 48:1- His protection- 48:3- HIs lovingkindness, righteousness, and justice- 48:9-11- His presence- 48:13-14. The praise of the city is the praise of the God who dwells there.

The city of Jerusalem represents something bigger. Gal. 4:26 speaks of the Jerusalem which is above.  Hebrews 11:10; 13:14 talks of a quest for a city whose builder and maker is God.  Revelation 3:12; 21:2, 10, 14 pictures the "new Jerusalem." This small capital represents God dwelling with man.

All that was intended by the city and the temple is fulfilled in Jesus- John 1:14; 2:19-22; 4:19-26.

This psalm pictures God as King- 47:2, 6, 7.

His dominion is "all the earth"- 47:2, 7; "the nations"- 47:8. He subdues peoples and nations- 47:3- and therefore all nations celebrate HIs reign as king- 47:1, 5.

The reception given to Him is the reception that kings received when coming to the throne- I Sam. 10:24; II Sam. 15:10; I Kings 1:39; II Kings 9:13; 11:12.

In a sense each of the Psalms tell the gospel story and Psalm 47 is no different.
47:1 mentions joy because God reigns and the word for joy used in the LXX of the OT is the same word used of response to Jesus in Luke 1:44.
47:1, 2, 7 All the nations are subject to Jesus- Matthew 25:32; 28:18-20
47:3 Christ will put all enemies beneath His feet- I Cor. 15:24-26
47:4 Just as God chose Israel, He chose us- Eph. 1:4
47:4 He prepares Israel's inheritance as He prepares us- I Peter 1:4
47:5 Jesus ascended to God- John 20:17; Acts 2:34; Eph. 4:8, 9, 10.
47:2, 6, 7 Jesus is King- Matt. 2:2; 27:11; John 19:19-22
47:9 His people will include all nations- Romans 4; Gal. 3
Our response to this is to Praise God!!!!!

What do we do when all our world is falling apart?
Where can we look? To whom can we go for help?

Psalm 46 can be divided easily into three parts based on the Selah's at the end of vs. 3, 7, 11.

46:1-3 Describes a natural calamity
It does not seem to be a literal description but a statement that even in the worst case scenario that we can trust God.

46:4-7 Describes armies gathering for war outside Jersualem.
Isaiah 36-37 and II Kings 18-19 describe a situation like this. But the nations gathered against God and His city will fall while God will not be moved.
46:3 The word "roar" is the same word translated "uproar" in 46:6. The natural calamity of vs. 1-3 has a parallel in the the military crisis in vs. 4-7.

46:8-11 God is our stronghold in all the earth
10 To whom are these words addressed? It seems as it they are addressed to the nations which are told to stop fighting and acknowledge God as God.

Jesus and Psalm 46
46:5 Jesus is God's presence with man- John 1:14; 2:19-22; 4:19-24. The presence of God today is not tied to one city or one building like the Jerusalem temple, but to Christ.
46:5 when morning dawns- The women came to tomb only to find Jesus was raised from the dead early in the morning- Matt. 28:1-2; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1-2
46:9 He causes war to cease- Zechariah 9:9-10 is quoted in Matt. 21:4-5 and John 12:14-15 and said to be fulfilled in Jesus.
46:10 I am- In the Greek OT are the same words used by Jesus in John 6:35; 11:25; 14:6.
46:10 I will be exalted- exalted is the same word in the Greek translation in John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32-33; Acts 2:33; 5:31
Christ is exalted in His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. 

This psalm describes a royal wedding. 

The king is mentioned in 45:1, 5, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15.

45:1 The writer speaks of his skill and his good theme

45:2-9 Give a description of the queen
These verses present an ideal picture of who the king is.
The king is the best looking of men- vs. 2;  I Sam. 9:2; 16:12; II Sam. 14:25; I Kings 1:6
The king is the mightiest of warriors- vs. 3-5; I Sam. 8:20
The king fights for the most noble of causes- vs. 4
The king loves what is right and hates what is wrong- vs. 6-7

45:10-15 are an address and a description of the king
vs. 10-12 are more of an address to the queen 
vs. 13-15 a description of the queen

45:16-17 A Statement about their offspring, the descendents

Is the king called God? Exodus 21:6; 22:8-9 refers to judges who base their decisions on God's as Elohim. Could a king who bases his authority on God's gift be spoken of in the same way?

These ideals were never fulfilled in Israel's kings and led to an expectation of One who would fulfill these in a way beyond all comprehension.

Hebrews 1:8-9 quotes Psalm 45:6-7 and applies the words to Jesus.
Other things apply to Jesus as well. 

This is the first of eleven national laments in the book of Psalms.

44:1-8 Israel's Glorious Past
The word save is used in vs. 3, 6, 7. They did not win the land of Canaan nor their great victories in the past by their own power but by God's.
The phrase "all day long" is going to be used in vs.  8, 15, 22.

44:9-16 Israel's Miserable Present
Nothing in vs. 1-8 prepared us for the dramatic shift in vs. 9-16.

44:17-22 Their Protest of Innocence
No other psalm make such claims of national fidelity like this one.
vs. 17-18 The people state their loyalty to God
vs. 19 They talk of the pain they experienced

44:23-26 Israel begs God to take action
This is a call for God to awake from His "Sleep" and act.

Jesus and Psalm 44
He saved us by His power- vs. 1-8; Eph. 2:1-10; II Tim. 1:9
He is our King- John 19:19-22
Any horrible experience of suffering Israel described in vs. 9-16 has some comparison to His experiences on the cross.
If any could ever protest their innocence like we see in vs. 17-22, it was Jesus.
Verses 23-26 remind us of Jesus sleeping on the boat in Mark 4:35-41.
Because Jesus was led as a "Sheep to the slaughter" Isaiah 53:7, through His death and resurrection we become conquerers- Romans 8:35-37.

Why would we combine these Psalms?
1. The same refrain appears in 42:5, 11; 43:5
2. There are other similar lines- compare 42:9; 43:2
3. There is no heading to Psalm 43 in the Hebrew text

These are the first Psalms we have studied ascribed to someone other than David. The "sons of Korah" are mentioned in the heading of Psalms 42, 44-49, 84-85, 87-88. They are apparently descendants of Korah the Levite of Num. 16 who led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron and perished. His sons did not perish- Num. 26:10-11. They became temple musicians and gatekeepers- I Chron. 26.

Psalms 42 and 43 speak of despair
42:5, 11; 43:5 "Why are you in despair, O my soul?"
42:3 Tears were his food continually 
42:7 He feels as if he is drowning.
42:9; 43:2 he is continually mourning

These Psalms speak of hope
42:5, 11; 43:5 Hope in God
42:8 God gives His lovingkindness and songs in the night
43:3-5 He longs to be at God's holy hill

These passages describe an intense desire for God
42:1-2 His desire for God is compared to a thirsting and panting after water
42:4, 6 He remembers God and going with the group in worship of God
42:9 God is his rock
43:2 God is his refuge
43:4 God is his exceeding joy

This foreshadows Jesus
42:3 Tears are his food- Isaiah 53:3 He is a "man of sorrow"
43:3 In Jesus, God sent forth His light- John 8:12; 9:5- and His truth- John 14:6
They especially point to the cross
42:5, 11; 43:5 The word used in  the LXX for "despair" is used of Jesus  in Matt. 26:38; Mark 14:34
42:6 despair- A different Greek word is used in the LXX and the word is used of Jesus in John 12:27; 13:21
42:3, 10 They taunted Jesus saying, "Let God rescue Him" in Matt. 27:43
42:1-2 Thirst- Jesus was thirsty upon the cross- John 19:28- to give us the water of life- John 4:13-15; 6:35; 7:37-39.

The writer may state his conclusion at the beginning of the Psalm- 41:1-3.

How blessed is the one who considers the helpless- 41:1
Then the text gives six (6) lines to show how he will be blessed- 41:1b-3.

David's speaks- 41:4

His enemies take center stage- 41:5-9. The psalm mentions "enemies" 41:5, "enemy"- 41:11, and those "who hate me" 41:7. The plot and plan against David. They gossip about him. They anxiously await his death. 

Be gracious to me, David says- 41:10.  The plea for God to be gracious in 41:4, 10 surrounds the treachery of his enemies in 41:5-9.

He prays God will raise him up- 41:10.

The psalm ends book 1 of the Psalms. Each of the books ends on strong notes of praise to God- 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52; 106:48; 146-150.

How does Jesus fulfill the Psalm?
41:9 is quoted and applied to Judas by Jesus in John 13:18
41:1-3 Jesus did not seem to experience the deliverances promised to one who helps the helpless.
41:5-9 Jesus did however experience all the hatred and opposition this psalm speaks of David receiving. 

41:10 However, God did raise Jesus up and fulfilled all these promises through the resurrection. 

A Psalm of David
40:1-2 He has waited for the LORD and he has lifted his feet up out of the clay

40:3-5 The LORD put a new song in his mouth

40:6-8 God desires a complete submission to Him and a desire to do His will

40:9-10 He has not been quiet about God's deliverance

40:11-12 He begs God not to withhold compassion from Him

40:13-17 He asks God to hurry to his rescue

Key Themes in Psalm 39
Silence- 39:1-3, 9, 12
Brevity of Life- 39:4-6, 11, 12
Sin and suffering- 39:8-11


Jesus fulfills Psalm 39

This ending is answered in the resurrection of Jesus. 

This psalm reveals “the bewilderment about man that was only finally dispelled when the Word became flesh, and when the gospel brought life and immortality to light” Kidner, 156. 

39:1-2, 9 Jesus’ silence when on trial- Matt. 26:62-64; 27:11-14.

39:2 His silence did not eliminate Jesus’ grief- Matt. 26:37-38.

39:8 Jesus brings forgiveness for our transgression. He solves the problem of our sin- Acts 13:39; Rom. 4:25

39:4-6, 13 The brevity of life and the certainty of death is answered by the resurrection and life- John 11:25; 14:6.

39:11 He provides us riches that neither moth eats nor rust destroys and riches that thieves cannot break through and steal.