THROUGH THE BIBLE STUDY

PSALMS 42-49
Tonight’s psalms, Psalms 42-49, are evidence of God’s
amazing grace.
They’re labeled, “A contemplation of the sons of Korah.”
In Numbers 16, Korah leads a revolt in the wilderness
against Moses and Aaron. Korah was a Levite - a member of
the tribe God raised up to help in the Tabernacle worship. But
Korah took too much upon himself.
He began to question Moses’ authority and leadership.

Numbers 16:32 recounts God’s judgment, “the ground split

apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed them up, with their households and all the men
with Korah…” And who the ground didn’t get verse 35 tells us,
“A fire came out from the LORD and consumed…”
God put down the rebellion with a mudslide and a lightning
strike…

Korah, his sidekicks, and their families all died in God’s

judgment that day… with one exception… the sons of Korah!
Later in Numbers (26:11) we’re told, “Nevertheless the
children of Korah did not die.”
Why Korah’s sons were exempt and preserved we’re not
told, but we know their response to God’s grace... They were
appreciative!
They determined to never again allow rebellion to spoil their
worship. They were faithful to God and played a key role in
Israel’s spiritual life.
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 Notice too, these psalms are called “Maschils” or
contemplations.
How ironic that some of the Bible’s most insightful psalms
were written by the descendants of one of the Bible’s most
blatant blasphemers.
Psalms 42-49, along with four other Psalms - 84-85 and
87-88 - were written either “by” or “to” the “sons of Korah.” To
me it’s proof that no one is a slave to a sinful heritage. In
Christ we all can change our destiny.

The preface to PSALM FORTY-TWO reads, “To the Chief

Musician. A Contemplation of the sons of Korah.” That
narrows it down to a family, but what were the circumstances
of the individual who penned this psalm?
Apparently the author was a Levite far from home and away
from the Temple. From clues in the psalm we glean he was in
the Golan Heights – the remote, mountain region in northern
Israel - near the headwaters of the Jordan. There, he
desperately misses the Temple worship, and the presence of
God. Nothing satisfies him apart from the Lord alone.

In verse 1 he says, “As the deer pants for the water brooks,
so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for
the living God.”
On occasion our kids would forget to feed the dog. The poor
pooch went all day with no water. At night when we finally
filled her bowl she wouldn’t take a measured sip. She’d lap
and gulp and gulp and lap.
This is how the psalmist longs for God. As a deer pines for
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the brook – as a thirsty dog craves a bowl of water – the
psalmist thirsts for God.

Actually, every human heart thirsts for God! Of course, until

a person finds God, he or she doesn’t realize it was for God
that they hungered.
Infants are born with a rooting reflex. Their little mouth roots
for the nipple. When they’re hunger they’ll suck on whatever
is within reach.
Spiritually speaking, all humans have a rooting reflex.
They’ll suck on anything that promises satisfaction… sex,
drugs, fame, success…

St. Augustine sums us up in his prayer, “You have formed us

for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their
rest in You.”
Another quote explains our hunger… “The soul of man is
made with sweet tastes and only God Himself is rich enough
to delight it.”
Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, “Whoever
drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the
water that I shall give him will never thirst.” Jesus can quench
our thirst. But he waits to be wanted.

In OT times God’s presence was revealed in the Temple.

The psalmist is on the road – away from the sanctuary - so he
asks in verse 2, “When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night, while they
continually say to me, "Where is your God?"
Once the pastor met with a committee of stubborn church
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members to discuss some changes he wanted to make. They
shot down all his ideas. But the pastor got the last laugh. In
the minutes of the meeting he listed the members present…
Then he listed the one that was absent, “God.”
Have you ever felt that God was absent from your life? You
no longer sensed His presence or felt His power. God
seemed distant?

Verse 4 “When I remember these things, I pour out my soul

within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with
them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise,
with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.”
OT worship was accentuated by the sights of the Temple,
the aroma of the sacrifices, the excitement of the feasts.
Worship was a multi-sensory experience. You could see, and
smell, and stroke the glory of God.
But ultimately OT worship was limited by the Temple.
Worship was chained to a place and time. You had to be at
the Temple.

Like a hot-air balloon setting sail, Jesus cut the ties to the
Temple.
True worshippers now worship in spirit and truth. Worship is
no longer a sensory experience, but a spiritual experience.
We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Today, the Holy of
Holies is the heart of a true believer.

Verse 5 “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are
you disquieted within me?” He answers his own question…
“Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of
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His countenance.

O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will

remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the
heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar.” The psalmist is in the
Golan - the ancient region of the tribe of Dan. “Jor” means “to
descend.” The “Jor-dan” River “descends from Dan.”
The Jordan forms north of the Sea of Galilee, near the base
of Mount Hermon. Three tributaries merge - the Hashbani, the
Banais, the Dan.
The Golan is a remote area even today. In fact, on our tours
to Israel we always stop at Banais. The NT refers to the area
as Caesarea Philippi. Apparently, this is where the psalmist
was when he wrote Psalm 42.
Just below the main sight at Banais there’s a waterfall. It
involves a hike down a flight of stairs, but it’s a must see. I
believe it inspired verse 7…

“Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all

Your waves and billows have gone over me.” The psalmist
compares the spray of the waterfall to the presence of God –
the roar of the crashing water to God’s voice. It’s pretty cool to
be on location there to actually feel it and hear it…

“The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the

daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me - a prayer
to the God of my life.
I will say to God my Rock, "Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the
enemy?" Perhaps the psalmist was on the run. He was in the
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mountains hiding out from his enemy.
“As with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me,
while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" Why
are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted
within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of
my countenance and my God.”

PSALM FORTY-THREE was probably a continuation of

Psalm 42.
“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an
ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust
man! For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast
me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of
the enemy? Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them
lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your
tabernacle.”
He longs for God to return him to his place at the Temple in
Jerusalem.

“Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy;

and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.” When this
wanderer ends his exile and finally gets home the first thing
he promises to do is not feed the dog, or check the mail, or
mow the lawn… but to take his guitar down to the Temple –
set up right next to the altar – and praise God’s faithfulness.
He hungers for the presence of God.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you
disquieted within me?” Notice this is a reference to the
previous psalm. “Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the
help of my countenance and my God.”
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 PSALM FORTY-FOUR is also “a contemplation of the sons
of Korah.”
I always thought “Sons of Korah” would be a cool name for
a Christian band. I noticed this past week a group from
Australia took the suggestion.

Chapter 44 begins “We have heard with our ears, O God,

our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in
days of old…”
Remember the psalms were written 2500 years before
Guttenberg invented the printing press. The Jewish scribes
carefully recorded the Psalms on sacred scrolls – but the
public passed them along orally.
Here the psalmist recounts what he’s heard with his ears.

Which brings up a great question - if all our kids knew of

God is what they’ve heard from our lips, how much would
they know? Do we talk of God, and the deeds He’s done -
both “in our days, and in days of old”?

Verse 2 “You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them
You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
For they did not gain possession of the land by their own
sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right
hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because
You favored them.”
The conquest of Canaan involved drawn swords, and spilt
blood, and brave men - but the victory came from God. Here
the psalmist gives credit where credit is due. It’s sad, but over
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time we tend to downplay God’s intervention in our battles…
May God forgive our selective amnesia!

“You are my King, O God; command victories for Jacob.” I

love the next line, “Through You we will push down our
enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise
up against us.” God supplies the needed push.
The source of past victories is God. He’s also the key to
future victories.
Verse 6 “I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save
me. But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put
to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long,
and praise Your name forever. Selah

“But You have cast us off and put us to shame, and You do
not go out with our armies. You make us turn back from the
enemy, and those who hate us have taken spoil for
themselves. You have given us up like sheep intended for
food, and have scattered us among the nations.
You sell Your people for next to nothing, and are not
enriched by selling them. You make us a reproach to our
neighbors, a scorn and a derision to those all around us. You
make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head
among the peoples.” God had brought judgment to Israel.

Psalm 44 is thought to have been written during the days of

King Hezekiah. The Assyrian General Sennacherib had just
conquered the northern 10 tribes of Israel, and had laid siege
to the city of Jerusalem.
Sennacherib sent propagandists to speak to Jerusalem in
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Hebrew.
They mocked Hezekiah and his God. The strategy was to
strike fear in the hearts of Israel and intimidate them into a
surrender with no battle.

The psalmist continues, “My dishonor is continually before

me, and the shame of my face has covered me, because of
the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, because of the
enemy and the avenger.
What was confusing to the psalmist is that this challenge
had come on the heels of a revival. Hezekiah, and his friend
Isaiah, had instituted a series of reforms to renew the nation’s
faith and return them to God.
The psalmist expresses his frustration. “All this has come
upon us; but we have not forgotten You, nor have we dealt
falsely with Your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor
have our steps departed from Your way; but You have
severely broken us in the place of jackels, and covered us
with the shadow of death. If we had forgotten the name of our
God, or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, would not
God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.

The psalmist is confused. If the nation had sinned he could

interpret the invasion as God’s judgment. But the enemy
didn’t show up until after they’d turned their hearts to God.
Why were they suffering now?
I hear the same complaint at times from new Christians.
“When I got saved my life got harder, not easier. I
encountered new problems.”
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 Hey, when you’re on the devil’s side why would he waste
time attacking someone he’s already got? Opposition doesn’t
arise until we decide to follow Jesus. We come under attack
when we become a threat.

Notice what the psalmist says in verse 22, “Yet for Your
sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter.”
Paul quotes this verse in Romans 8:36. The Apostle recalls
all he had suffered for Jesus’ sake. His Christian life is not a
bed of roses. Being a Christian includes persecution. It’s part
of a Christian’s discipleship.

“Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us

off forever. Why do You hide Your face, and forget our
affliction and our oppression?
For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings to
the ground. Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your
mercies' sake.”
The psalmist saw the presence of trouble as a sign of God’s
absence. But not so! Verses 25-26 tell us God allows
opposition for two reasons: it reminds us of our helplessness
and it drives us to God for help.
In the long run, battles are blessings.

PSALM FORTY-FIVE is a love song set to the tune “The

Lillies.”
It may’ve been a wedding song composed for a royal
wedding. It speaks of the king and his bride. The identity of
the kingly couple is unknown. It may’ve been David and
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Michal – or Solomon and the Shulamite – or Hezekiah and
Hepzibah, the daughter of Isaiah.
We know for sure it speaks of Christ and His Bride, the
Church.

Verse 1 “My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite

my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of
a ready writer.
You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon
Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever. Gird Your
sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and
Your majesty.”

“And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth,

humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach
You awesome things.
Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies;
the peoples fall under You.” He’s victor and sovereign. “Your
throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of
righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love
righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your
God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than
Your companions.”

Notice this king is a happy man. God anoints Him with “the
oil of gladness.” I recoil whenever Jesus is portrayed as sad
and solemn.
I believe Jesus usually had a grin on His face. He was the
glad man.
He smiled and laughed - a lot. When I open my eyes for the
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first time in heaven I expect to see Jesus smiling at me with a
huge grin.

He continues to describe the king, “All Your garments are

scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory
palaces, by which they have made You glad. Kings' daughters
are among Your honorable women; at Your right hand stands
the queen in gold from Ophir.” The queen comes into view –
and the queen is wearing her bling - “gold from Ophir.”

Here’s what’s happening, the queen is about to enter the

honeymoon chamber – but first she’s told how to prepare
herself for the special night.
Today when a girl prepares for her wedding night she soaks
in the tub, and hits the salon for a manicure, pedicure, and
up-do. She’s moisturized and accessorized. She spends as
much of dad’s money as possible.
But for this bride the preparation is mental. She prepares
relationally. The most important sex organ for both men and
women is their brain. Sexual intimacy in marriage is more
about attitude than anatomy.

She’s told, “Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your

ear; forget your own people also, and your father's house…”
Here’s what makes a great lover – four words: listen,
consider, incline, and forget.
First, the queen listens rather than talks… Second, she
considers the king. She thinks of His needs. She focuses on
him not her herself…
Third, she inclines - or leans and stretches out her soul
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toward him…
And fourth, she forgets home – her past. She stays in the
present. The queen has the ability to put the past behind her
– and live in the moment.

Verse 11 assures the queen of her husband’s love. “So the

King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord,
worship Him.”
Notice the connection here between sexuality and
spirituality. Sexual intimacy in marriage is analogous to
spiritual intimacy in worship.

I do believe what makes a good lover also makes a good

worshipper… Remember those four words – listen, consider,
incline, and forget…
When we worship we need to listen not just talk. Be
attentive and don’t get distracted or sidetracked. How often
do we allow annoyances to break our concentration? John
Donne once said, “I neglect God and his angels for the noise
of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door.”
We should consider. Focus on God’s character – not just
our needs.
Then incline or stretch out our soul to God. Reach out
spiritually.
Finally, forget the past. Stay in the moment. As Paul wrote
to the Philippians, “Forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press
toward the mark…”

Verse 12, “And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; the
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rich among the people will seek your favor. The royal
daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is
woven with gold.
She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
the virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought
to You. With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
they shall enter the King's palace.”

Just before He ascended to heaven Jesus told His disciples

He’d go and prepare a place for us. This was Jewish custom.
After the betrothal, the husband went home to prepare an
abode for his bride. When it was complete he returned for the
“home-taking.” For us that’s the rapture!
Today, Jesus is in heaven, but when our heavenly home is
complete He’s promised to return and take us to live with Him
forever.
Perhaps this is the day Psalm 45 envisions. “With gladness
and rejoicing they shall be brought; they shall enter the King's
palace.”

Verse 16 “Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom

You shall make princes in all the earth. I will make Your name
to be remembered in all generations; therefore the people
shall praise You forever and ever.”

The preface to PSALM FORTY-SIX calls it “A Song for

Alamoth.”
The word “Alamoth” probably means, “high pitched.”
Perhaps it was a song for the sopranos. Not the gangsters,
but the sisters in the choir.
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 Most commentators agree Psalms 46-48 were written at the
time of the Assyrian assault on Jerusalem. Assyria was a
rising empire bent on world conquest. They’d overthrown
Syria and Israel, and were headed to Egypt.
Only Jerusalem, and the Jewish king, Hezekiah, stood in
their way.
When Hezekiah looked over the walls he saw the meanest
troops on the planet camped against him. But he prayed, and
God answered.
A battle Angel came in the night and slaughtered 185,000
Assyrian troops. The next morning Hezekiah surveyed the
carnage. He took out a pen, and either he or one of the sons
of Korah wrote of God’s deliverance.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in

trouble…” The Hebrew word translated “trouble” means “a
tight spot.”
Tonight, you may be in a tight spot, but God is able to
deliver.
I love Psalm 46! Here’s an outline… In verses 1-3, God is a
refuge. In verses 4-7, God is a river. And in verses 8-11,
God is the ruler.

The psalm begins, “God is our refuge…” He’s a place of

protection from the storm. And life is full of storms. Like a
flood life can swirl out of control. Situations can overwhelm
us. It’s been said, “Life is like fighting a gorilla. You don't rest
when you get tired. You rest when the gorilla gets tired."
Yet God is a “refuge” - “a very present help in trouble.” The
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expression means “easily accessible.” Going to God doesn’t
involve a lot of red tape.

My daughter use to be a cheerleader – the best there ever

was, by the way. Now she coaches cheerleaders. And I had a
favorite cheer…
It goes like this, "Rain can't rock this house, thunder can't
rock this house, lightning can't rock this house, and you can't
rock this house."
This is what the psalmist says about God in Psalm 46. Bring
on the storm – it doesn’t matter - God is what we need, when
we need Him.

“Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be

removed…” A literal translation would read - “though the land
changes hands.”
Recall the context, invaders sit just outside the city gates.
The psalmist is envisioning a worse-case-scenario. Even if
the city is sacked God will still be faithful to His people. His
plans will not fail.

“Though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains
shake with its swelling. Selah” Though Mother Nature goes
berserk God the Father will be faithful.
Add to the psalmist’s list… though the economy tanks,
though I lose my job, though my teenager rebels… God is still
a refuge and I will not fear!
Real faith is not “if faith,” but “though faith.” It’s not I’ll trust
God if He makes my life safe and easy. It’s I’ll trust God
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though hard times come.

God is a refuge, but He’s also a river. Verse 4, “There is a

river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy
place of the tabernacle of the Most High.” In preparation of a
siege against his capitol city, King Hezekiah had moved to
secure Jerusalem’s water supply. The Gihon Spring bubbles
up southeast of the city - just outside Jerusalem’s walls.
Hezekiah built a 1,777 feet tunnel to channel the spring
inside the city.
The tunnel was an amazing feat of ancient engineering, but
it was also a picture of Judah’s relationship with God. Verse
5, “God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved…” As
the Gihon supplied the city with water - God was a source of
supernatural strength to the Jews.

I love verse 5, “God is in the midst…” God is always in the

midst of whatever I’m in the middle of… He’s not afraid to
dive into my mess.
John Phillips writes, “We see Jesus… in the midst of the
upper room after His resurrection - in the midst of the lamp
stands, walking among the churches in Revelation. He’s
always “in the midst”. He says, “Where two or three are
gathered together in My name there I am in the midst of
them.”
This is the Christmas message. The world was stained by
sin, but Jesus doesn’t take us out of it, instead He joins our
muck and mire.

“God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.” In ancient

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times armies always attacked at “the break of dawn" - at first
light. But God was ready.
“The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered
His voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the
God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” Sennacherib, the Assyrian
king had not counted on God being in the city. Here we’re told
“the LORD of hosts is with us.”

In Hebrew the expression “God with us” is the Christmas

title for Jesus, “Immanuel.” In fact, Hezekiah’s contemporary
Isaiah predicted, “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.” (7:14)
In Isaiah 8:8 the prophet predicts Immanuel will defeat the
invaders.
And indeed He did! Three times in the OT we’re told the
Angel of the Lord came at night and slaughtered 185,000
Assyrian troops. The remainder of Sennacherib’s army fled
and returned to Assyria.
Here’s what folks don’t know about Christmas. The infant in
the manger was Hezekiah’s deliverer, Immanuel! Mary’s baby
had been to battle.

Verse 8, “Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has

made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the
end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in
two; He burns the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the
nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” He’s a refuge, a river,
and a ruler!
Our God rules over nations, He also rules over the troubles
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we face.

“Be still, and know that I am God…” Fear grows in the noise
of this world. Listen to the noise and you’re destined for
confusion. Skeptical friends, sensationalistic media, doubting
voices – cause fear to grow.
Only when we come to the quiet, and let God speak, does
faith grow.
"The more we train ourselves to spend time with God and
alone, the more we discover that God is with us at all times
and in all places."
“The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge. Selah”

PSALM FORTY-SEVEN is probably a sequel to Psalm 46.

It is interesting though, Psalm 47 is sung seven times in the
Jewish synagogue prior to the blowing of the trumpet on Rosh
Hashanah. The Feast Trumpets foreshadows the rapture.
There may be hints of it here.

“Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the
voice of triumph! For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is
a great King over all the earth.” When the Assyrian diplomat
introduced Sennacherib to King Hezekiah, he called him "the
great king" - it was an intimidating title.
Here, the psalmist calls the Hebrew God "the great King
over all earth."

“He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under
our feet.” The NT says Jesus will one day put all things under
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His feet!
“He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of
Jacob whom He loves. Selah” The word "excellence" means
"pride." The rebellious Jews were God's pride and joy. It’s
amazing how God is so gracious.

“God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of
a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to
our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with
understanding.
God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.
The princes of the people have gathered together, the people
of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly
exalted.”

PSALM FORTY-EIGHT “a song. A Psalm of the sons of

Korah.”
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of
our God, in His holy mountain.” God lays claim to two cities.
His earthly capitol is Jerusalem. His heavenly capitol is
heaven or the New Jerusalem.
The subject of Psalm 48 is both the earthly and heavenly
Jerusalem.

“Beautiful in elevation…” Jerusalem is 2500 feet ASL. The

Dead Sea is 1290 feet BSL. That means the city towers 4000’
above the Jordan Valley.
Jerusalem was also built on five mountains… Zion to the
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south - Moriah at its heart - Scopus to the north - Olivet to the
east - Ophel to the west…
On the east Jerusalem’s walls rise even further above the
Kidron Valley below. It makes for the most magnificent skyline
of any city on earth.

“Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth…” It’s the

lifelong ambition of every Jew to make pilgrimage and see the
holy city.

“Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount

Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.”
North of Zion was Moriah – the threshing floor where
Solomon built the Temple. Further north, and up the hill was
the sight Abraham offered Isaac, and Jesus was crucified.
The holiest sights were on “the sides of the north.” It’s
interesting that in ancient religions the home of the gods is
located in the north.
Isaiah 14:13 says when Lucifer tried to rebel against God he
exalted himself to the “sides of the north.” Job 37:22 and
Psalm 75:6 refer to God as residing in the north. The Bible
indicates heaven may be in the north.

“God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.”

Jerusalem was invincible not because of elevation or walls,
but God resided there.
“For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together.
They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, they
hastened away.
Fear took hold of them there, and pain, as of a woman in
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birth pangs, as when you break the ships of Tarshish with an
east wind.
As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the LORD
of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever.
Selah”

“We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, in the

midst of Your temple. According to Your name, O God, so is
Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of
righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of
Judah be glad, because of Your judgments.
Walk about Zion, and go all around her.” Last December on
our trip to Jerusalem we obeyed verse 12. We had a walk-
about Jerusalem. We walked on top of the walls - from the
Joppa Gate to the Lions Gate.

“Count her towers; mark well her bulwarks; consider her

palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following. For
this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide
even to death.” God in heaven loves the people in every city
on Earth, but He has a special love for Jerusalem.

PSALM FORTY-NINE is similar to Psalm 37. It seeks to

answer the question, “How should the righteous react when
the wicked prosper?”

Verse 1 “Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of

the world, both low and high, rich and poor together. My
mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart
shall give understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I
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will disclose my dark saying on the harp. Why should I fear in
the days of evil, when the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of
their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his
brother, nor give to God a ransom for him…” Money can buy
lots of stuff, but no amount of money in the world can
purchase God’s forgiveness. There’s no government bailout
for sin. Forgiveness is never for sale.

Verse 8 “For the redemption of their souls is costly, and it

shall cease forever - that he should continue to live eternally,
and not see the Pit.”
In the Middle Ages a corrupt Catholic church sold
indulgences. For a price you could buy a get-out-of-hell free
card. I once had a drunk offer me money. He was trying to
buy his forgiveness. I refused to take it.
God doesn't want your money - He wants you!

“For he sees wise men die; likewise the fool and the
senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others.”
Money won’t buy a second of life.
Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, their
dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after
their own names.
Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is
like the beasts that perish.” A man names a ranch or estate
after himself. It bears his name for generations, but he goes
the way of all men.
It’s better to have your name written in the Book of life.

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 “This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their
posterity who approve their sayings. Selah Like sheep they
are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them…” A rich man’s
body rots like an animal’s corpse.
“The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from
their dwelling.
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,
for He shall receive me. Selah Do not be afraid when one
becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for
when he dies he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall
not descend after him.”
You’ll never see a hearse pull a U-Haul. You can’t take it
with you. But you can send it ahead. Invest spiritually and
you’ll reap an eternal return.

Verse 18 “Though while he lives he blesses himself (For

men will praise you when you do well for yourself), (you’ll be
praised on earth, yet) he shall go to the generation of his
fathers; they shall never see light. A man who is in honor, yet
does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.”

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