OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY
The United Kingdom Stage
(1 Sam 8-31, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1-11, 1 Chronicles, 2
Chronicles 1-9, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon)
Week 49
I.
THE WRITINGS OF THIS STAGE
A.
The Psalms:
i. By book division
ii. By authorship
iii. By subject matter
II.
THE DEVOTIONAL PSALMS
A.
These seventy Psalms have been titled this because
they contain precious and personal promises which
all believers can feed upon.
III.
THE PENITENTIAL PSALMS
A.
These include Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and
143.
i. They are Psalms of penitence – feeling sorrow
for sins.
ii. David wrote five of these Psalms – 6, 32, 38, 51,
and 143.
B.
Psalm 32
i. This Psalm should be connected to Psalm 51.
1. The latter describes David’s emotions as
he confesses his sin of adultery and
murder – 2 Sam 11.
ii. While this Psalm depicts his feelings before
such confession was made, when the burden of
________ still bore heavy upon him.
iii. In the book of Romans (4:7-8) Paul quotes the
first two verses of this Psalm to illustrate one of
Scripture’s great doctrines, that of imputation.
1. Imputation is the act of one person
adding something to another person’s
account.
C.
iv. THREE MAIN IMPUTATIONS IN
SCRIPTURE:
1. That of Adam’s sin nature upon
_____________ – Rom 3:23; 5:12
2. That of man’s sin upon Christ – Isa 53:56; Heb 2:9; 2 Cor 5:14-21; 1 Pet 2:24
3. That of Christ’s righteousness upon the
believing sinner – Phil 3:9; Jas 2:23;
Rom 4:6-24
Psalm 51
i. We know the background, but David begins this
great confession by doing what God expects
every sinning saint to do – freely
acknowledging sin.
1. The Father will accept our tears, but not
our ____________.
2. David refuses to blame his failure on
society, heredity, poverty, or his
environment.
ii. In verse 4, he states that “Against You, You
only, have I sinned.”
1. In a technical sense, of course, this was
not true.
2. David had sinned against himself,
Bathsheba, Uriah, and all of his people.
3. But his sin against God was so serious
and stupendous that all other parties
involved faded away.
4. The last part of this verse is quoted by
Paul to prove the universal
condemnation of mankind – Rom 3:4.
iii. In verse 7 David pleads to be purged (or
cleansed) with hyssop.
1. Perhaps his mind slipped back to his
nation’s first Passover night some 5
centuries before – Ex 12:21-23
2. So God purged him.
D.
a. Later, Jesus would perform this
ministry for all believers
everywhere – Heb 1:3b
iv. In verse 11 David prays a prayer, however,
which no believer needs to request today.
1. Regardless of the seriousness of our sin,
we need not concern ourselves over
losing the __________________.
a. Jn 14:16
v. However, every child of God will sometime
need to pray David’s words in verse 12.
1. The entire church at Ephesus needed to
pray these words – Rev 2:4
2. When this joy and first love returns, the
conversion of sinners will indeed take
place – Verse 13.
vi. This confession Psalm brings out many precious
truths, but perhaps the greatest of all is found in
verses 16 and 17.
1. The reason for this was very simple –
there existed no sacrifice for the sin of
adultery.
2. Rather, the one guilty of adultery was to
be stoned to death – Lev 20:10,
3. So then, David bypasses the Levitical
offerings and throws himself completely
upon the mercy and grace of God.
Psalm 38
i. Surely this must rank among the most
remarkable passages in the entire Bible, if for no
other reason, because of its absolute frankness.
1. This pitiful prayer ought to demonstrate
that the Bible is not only a Book that
man could not write if he would, but
would not write if he could.
2. Here is David, the singer of Israel, the
anointed of the Lord, the man after
God’s own heart.
a. Yet as one carefully studies the
language of this prayer, it
becomes impossible to escape the
shocking possibility that David
was plagued with that kind of
disease which often accompanies
immoral living and activities –
Verses 3-11.
IV.
THE IMPRECATORY PSALMS
A.
These include 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 83, 109, 137, and
140.
i. The definition of these Psalms: To imprecate is
to pray against, or to invoke evil upon someone
or something.
B.
The fact of these Psalms: There are many instances
where the Psalmist calls down judgment upon his
enemies, asking God to:
i. Fight against them – 35:1
ii. Bring them to confusion – 35:4
iii. Scatter them as chaff – 35:5
iv. Allow the Lord’s angel to chase and persecute
them – 35:5
v. Cause their way to be dark and slippery – 35:6
vi. Allow __________ to seize upon them – 55:15
vii. Pull them down into hell – 55:15
viii. Break their teeth – 58:8
ix. Cut up their defense – 58:7
x. Withhold all mercy to them – 59:5
xi. Consume them in wrath – 59:13
xii. Set a trap for them – 69:22
xiii. Darken their eyes – 69:23
xiv. Make their loins shake – 69:23
xv. Let their habitation be desolate – 69:25
xvi. Blot them out of the book of living – 69:28
xvii. Make them as the dung of the earth – 83:10
xviii. Persecute them – 83:14
xix. Give them over to Satan – 109:6
xx. Let their days be few – 109:8
xxi. Let their children be beggars – 109:10
xxii. Let burning coals fall upon them – 140:10
xxiii. Cast them into a deep pit – 140:10
C.
The problem involved in these Psalms:
i. How can we reconcile these phrases with the
NT admonition of Jesus in Matthew 5:44?
D.
The suggested answers for these Psalms:
i. The Psalms are inspired and the Holy Spirit has
a right to denounce sin and sinners.
ii. This is in harmony with the law – Ps 28:4; Jer
50:15
iii. Such judgment against evil and evildoers is in
harmony with the teachings of Christ and the
epistles – Mt 18:6, 23:33, 26:24; Gal 1:8-9,
5:12; Jas 5:3; Jude 13, 15; 2 Pet 2:12, 22; 2
Thess 2:10-12; rev 14:10-11.
iv. The Scriptures pronounce curses against
Israelites also for falling into sin and idolatry –
Lev 26; Deut 27-28; Isa 5:24-25, 28:13, etc.
v. David makes God’s cause his cause – Ps 5:1011.
vi. Many of the imprecations are uttered out of
sympathy for the injured and the ____________
– Ps 10:8-10.
vii. Many of these Psalms are prayers for success on
the battlefield – Ps 144:5-7.
1. Many of Israel’s wars were definitely
approved by God.
viii. Some of the petitions have reference to
Scriptural predictions – Ps 137:8-9.
1. The Psalmist has before him a direct
prophecy where the fall of Babylon is
predicted in these same terms – Isa
13:16; Jer 50:15, 51:6, 36.
ix. Some concern Christ and his betrayers – Ps 40,
55, 60.
1. Psalm 69:22-25 gives us the punishment
meted out to Judas.
E.
2. Psalm 109 has been called the
“______________ Psalm.”
x. The wicked in the Psalms are looked upon as
confirmed or apostate wicked.
1. This is in keeping with the sovereignty
of God and also with the prophetic
character of the Psalms.
2. Many of the Psalms look forward to the
final earthly judgments against the
wicked.
xi. Grace is manifest in frank and repeated
warnings to the wicked – Ps 2:12.
An examination of these Psalms:
i. Psalm 35
1. This is the first of the nine imprecatory
Psalms – 35:1-8.
2. But it should be also kept in mind that
David had at first fervently __________
for his enemies in spite of their cruelty
toward him – 35:12-16.
3. This is also the first of four Iscariot
Psalms.
a. Psalms prophetically depicts the
treachery of Judas in the NT.
b. The other three are: 41:9, 55:1214, 109:6-8
ii. The imprecatory prayers:
1. 55:9, 58:6-9, 59:11-15, 69:22-28, 83:917, 109:6-20, 140:8-10
2. Psalm 137: A two-fold imprecatory
prayer:
a. That God would judge Edom for
their treachery during the fall of
Jerusalem by the Babylonians –
Vs 7.
b. That God would judge Babylon –
Vs. 8-9.