Psalms

Psalms

Psalm 147 Rewritten

YAY God

It is so awesome to sing about how awesome God really is

It is the most joy filled and appropriate response

God is restoring places that have previously been destroyed

He is bringing people home who have been held captive

He fixes hearts that are broken

He puts bandaids over places that are bleeding

He knows how many stars exist in space 

and He has specific names for every one of them

God is so big. His power is more than sufficient

He understands way more than we can figure out

The Lord is someone to lean on for those who show humility

but he has to pull down evil people

Thank God by singing to Him

Pick up an instrument and use it to give God praise

He is the one who makes a way for rain to come from heaven to earth

so that life can grow

He makes sure that the most wild are not hungry

He also ensures food to the most helpless ones who need Him

He is not impressed with guns or muscles

Nope! God is delighted with people who believe He is good and powerful

He is delighted with those who hope for his love to never die

Everyone who is filled with God’s spirit should glorify Him

If that is you, you should praise YOUR God

He has given you the most up to date viral protection

and your greatest locked up treasures are taken care of

He mails peace out to every part of the country you live in

and makes you completely content by giving you the highest quality 

of what you want and need most

The entire globe gets directions from Him

what He says is conveyed extremely fast

What he sends from heaven is pure white

he can easily sprinkle it anywhere on the earth

He is able to forcefully hurl hard objects from heaven

Who can argue with what he brings or does?

Afterwards, He simply gives the word and everything changes

He uses what cannot be seen to make what is hard disappear

He has given new understanding to the one he made promises to

He has helped an entire group of people see what He has said

He hasn’t done this for everyone

Other people don’t know what he has instructed

YAY God!

Character Study of David

1. Humility-David was a huge example of someone who lived out humility. There are several instances through I & II Samuel of him choosing to walk humbly before God and others despite the fact that he was the king and the most influential person in the nation. One such instance is in 2 Samuel when David plans to head out to battle with his men. His men strongly object telling him that he should not go with them and he humbly submits to their advice stating, “If you think that’s the best plan, I’ll do it.”. You also see David’s humility come through in 2 Sam 23:13-17. His men risk their lives to provide David with water and he doesn’t abuse what they gave him. Even though he was their leader he doesn’t abuse his position, but realizes the risk that his men went through for him and chooses to highly value what was given to him. David also shows amazing humility by instantly repenting of his sin with Bathsheba by Nathan the prophet in 2 Kings 12:14 and Psalm 51. He instantly acknowledges his sin and chooses to turn away from it. He doesn’t argue with God nor does he try to defend himself but rather walks in complete humility before the Lord. God responds to His humility with favor by forgiving him and removing death from Him (2 Samuel 12:13,14).

2. Faith-David exhibited so much faith during his lifetime. Before he became king he was put in several situations where he was provided with the opportunity to put his trust in the Lord and trust that He would fight for him. One of the most apparent examples is in his battle with Goliath (1 Sam 17). David has complete confidence that even though he is small and insignificant by all appearances, God is going to give him victory over this seemingly insurmountable giant that no one else thought he could conquer. He presents his case before Saul saying, “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine.” He had previously seen what God was able to do and he believed that God could do the same thing in even more significant areas. But David also shows a great amount of faith in God by choosing to refrain from fighting for himself for the kingship even though God has promised to give it to him. He wanders all over the wilderness, living in caves and almost dying, waiting on God to deliver and rescue him (1 Sam 21-31). He went through a lot of difficult experiences but he persevered. David also refrains from killing Saul twice despite the fact that he was provided with the opportunity to have him killed and removed standing in the way of his future kingship (1 Sam 24:1-22; 26). David chose to have faith in God, knowing that what God had promised to give him, he would receive in God’s timing. Psalm 54 also gives an example of how David was crying out to God during these times of wandering the wilderness. God  was so impressed with David’s faith that he is mentioned in the faith chapter (Heb 11:32-34). Even though God doesn’t give an in-depth explanation of how David in particular exhibited faith, God still wanted him included in the list which is pretty significant. 

3. Hope-David was put in a lot of situations where he would have had valid reasons for not hoping. He was betrayed by his father-in-law who chased him for years. He had to wait years to see the promise of being the next king fulfilled. He was robbed of his family and possessions and almost killed by his own men. Yet over and over in Psalms you see David stating that His hope is in the Lord. He realized that the Lord was the only one who was able to come through for him in all of his difficult situations and that is where he put his hope. See Psalm 31:24; 39:7; 62:10-12; 131:3. You see God respond to David when he chooses to rely on and find his strength in Him. He answers him (I Sam 30:2-8). 

4. Worship- David was obviously one of the greatest worshipers found in the Bible. Not only did he write tons of Psalms but he exhibited a heart of worship. You can see this in his prayer to God from Psalm 51. David was also a harpist and a dancer. 2 Samuel 6:12-23 says that David openly danced before the Lord. It also says that David went in before the Lord to worship after his child had died by the Lord’s hand (2 Samuel 12:26). Also, when David goes to purchase the land from Araunah the Jebusite’s, he refuses to accept it for free because he does not want to present any offering to the Lord that doesn’t cost him something (2 Samuel 24). David’s heart was in love with the Lord. God’s response to David’s heart of worship was exalting him and referring to him as being, “a man after my own heart (1 Samuel 13:14) and you see his heart of worship expressed over and over again throughout his life. 

5. Patience- David was faithful to be patient for the Lord to act for him.  You find Saul in 1 Samuel 13 growing inpatient and failing to wait on the Lord which ultimately costs him the kingdom. In contrast, David constantly waits on the Lord to fight his battles. In Psalms you see him declaring before the Lord that God is the one that David constantly waits upon. It says in I Samuel 23:13 that when David was hiding from Saul, “God didn’t let David find him.” God was protecting David as he waited on the Lord. Not only that but God allows Jonathan, David’s dearest friend, to be sent to him to encourage him and confirm to him that he will be the next king of Israel (23:15-18).