Psalm 40 is basically the same theme as the last two psalms that we just read last week. David has sinned. David recounts with grief the problems that have ensued because of his sin with Bathsheba.

Not only is Psalm 51 a penitential psalm, or a psalm of repentance, but the last couple psalms are. And David recounts in his emotions and in his heart the things he was feeling. And he says, I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined, or He bowed-- He leaned toward me, and heard my cry.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock. He established my steps. He put a new song in my mouth. Praise to our God. Many will see it, fear, and will trust in the Lord.

Now, those verses describe what God will do in the life of every individual who comes to Him. As David says, I waited patiently for the Lord. He listened. He had climbed to me. He brought me up out of a horrible pit. Or as the NIV says, a slimy pit. I like that. That's your past.

When you look back to your past, all that you have the glory in is a slimy pit. Oh, but man, I really had a great time before I was a believer. Swimming in the slime pit. Paul said, I know that in me that is in my flesh, there dwells no good thing. Nothing.

It is always Satan's desire when we look back to cloud the past by making us remember the few enjoyable times that we had apart from the Lord. Somehow, he seeks to cloud our memory as to just what a slime pit it was to be without Christ, without hope. And sometimes, when things just aren't going our way, and our prayers aren't being answered at our timing, and we start becoming like little brats before the Lord, going, I don't like this, God. This isn't what I bargained for. And we start looking back and remembering those good old days, remember this verse.

You were in a slime pit. And God delivered you out of the miry clay, and he set your feet upon a rock. He gave you some stability. No longer swimming around, trying to find the bottom, he put your feet on a solid rock foundation. And he established my steps. He gave me direction. He gave me purpose.

It says in the book of Ephesians that in times past, we walked according to the course of this world according to the prince that now works in the children of disobedience. So the power that now works in the spirit of disobedience. The word "walk" means meandered. In times past, you meandered.

There is a difference between walking and meandering, by the way. Ever gone into the mall and see someone just kind of looking in the window, meandering, no direction? Just kind of looks around, just looks in the window, looks at that little dress, pulls back, goes to another window, sort of looks around. That's meandering.

When someone is walking, you can see it in their pace, step, and in their face. They're going somewhere. Nothing is going to stop or detour them. They're walking down the street, they've got a pace, they've got a direction, they know where they're going, they've got a goal.

We were meandering. He put our feet upon a rock, established our goings, or gave us direction, and he put a new song in our mouth. And you that have a relationship with the Lord know what that's like. That new song of worship and praise because God delivered you, and God gave you direction, and it's something you're eternally grateful for.

Even praise unto our God. And many will see it, and fear, and will trust in the Lord. And that's what the Lord does. When he changes a life, he makes it so obvious to the world around, they see it, and they marvel. And many of them will trust in the Lord because they see the changes. Not just the words that come out of the mouth, but they see the change in the life.

Many shall see it-- not just hear the words. They'll see the changes. They'll think, wasn't that Ralph, the guy that was just always having problems and no direction? So messed up. Look at him now. He's got a song. He's got direction. He's got purpose.

I want to know what happened. I want to know the kind of God that can change lives like that. And many will trust in the Lord.

Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust and does not respect the proud nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are your wonderful works which you have done. And your thoughts which are toward us cannot be recounted to you in order. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

In Psalm 139, David said, if I were to sit and take my little calculator out-- of course, this is a free translation-- and I were to calculate all the times that God thinks about me, they would be more in number than the sands on the seashore. Think about that, how much God thinks about you. You who feel so alone and so insignificant, as if God doesn't care.

Go outside. There's enough sand out here. Take a handful of it. Try an experiment. Take it home, and see if, in one week, you can count a handful of sand. Come up with a number, and let me know.

And David said, God thinks about me more than all of the sand on the seashores of the earth. Wow. That's a lot of thinking.

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire. My ears you have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering you did not require. Then I said, behold, I come in the scroll of the book, it is written of me. I delight to do your will, O my God, and your law is within my heart.

Of course, this is quoted in the book of Hebrews, which we covered several weeks back, referring to Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews lifts out this portion of the psalms and shows how this psalm is typically predictive of Jesus Christ, who, in submission, volunteered to obey the Father, even to the point of death, as we also see in the book of Philippians.

But he says something interesting. He said, sacrifice and offering you did not desire. My ears you have opened. Now, this could refer to, number one, I'm listening. You've unclogged or unstopped my ear, and I have a listening ear that is directed toward you. Or number two, it could refer to a ritual that took place in the Old Testament in the Book of Exodus.

A slave worked for his master for six years. On the seventh year, that slave was set free. Unless the slave so loved his master that the slave decided freely of his own will to, for life, be committed to that master. And if he said, hey, you're a great master, you're a great boss, I have great benefits, I want to serve you for the rest of my life, then the master would take the slave to the doorpost. Take an awl, or a nail, pierce it through his ear.

And you think, oh, that sounds horrible. You ladies do it all the time. It's called piercing your ears. And to mark the slave after they would pierce the ear, let it heal, they'd put a little ring or a piece of metal in there to signify this person is a slave a free choice. That's probably what David is referring to.

I am a slave freely, of my own volition, to you, O Lord. I will, of my own choice, serve you. My ear, you have opened. And your law is within my heart.

I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great congregation. Indeed, I do not restrain my lips. O Lord, you yourself know I have not hidden your righteousness within my heart. In other words, I haven't kept it to myself.

You know, the Bible says, your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. But it's not enough to just hide the word in our hearts. We also have to, once it brings forth fruit, let it out. David said, I haven't kept it a secret. I haven't concealed it. I've let people know about it.

I have declared your faithfulness in your salvation. I have not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great congregation. Do not withhold your tender mercies from me, O Lord. Let your chesed, your loving kindness, and your truth continually preserved me.

For innumerable evils have surrounded me. My iniquities have overtaken me, so I am not able to look up. They are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart fails me.

Now, after Nathan approached David and said, David, you're the man who sinned against God by taking Bathsheba and killing Uriah the Hittite. Once David knew that Nathan knew about it, suddenly he was convicted of a sin. And it was then that the guilt and the grief overtook him. And that's what he's referring to.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me. O Lord, make haste to help me. Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life. Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish me evil. Let them be appalled because of their shame who say to me, aha, aha.

Again, that must be one of-- the most terrible thing you could say to a Hebrew in the Old Testament, because David refers to it as being a reproach. You know it's funny, but-- well, let's go on. You're probably thinking that's not that funny.

Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let such as love your salvation continually say, the Lord be magnified. Do you love the Lord's salvation? If so, then that should probably be part of your vocabulary.

You know, there are certain terms that tend to be overrun, overused, run into the ground. "Praise the Lord," "hallelujah." I still say them, and I'm not tired of them. But sometimes you can say them without meaning. Perhaps it would be good to switch and say, the Lord be magnified.

But I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinks upon me. You see, he contrasts what he feels and what he knows to be true about himself with God's thoughts toward him, and that comforts him. That lifts him out of the miry clay. You are my help and my deliverer. Did not delay, O my God.

Psalm 41. Blessed is he who considers the poor. Now, we are getting to the last psalm of David, in order. This is the end. Psalm 41 is the last solemn of the first book of Psalms. There's five books of Psalms. This is the last psalm of the first book, which comprised the psalms of David.

Now, you'll see a few of them pop up from time to time through the rest. But as far as an order placed into a book, this is the last part of the book. Blessed or happy is he who considers the poor. The Lord will deliver him in a time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth.

You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness. You will sustain him on his sick bed.

Now, there are many who would tend to underline and claim verse 2 without considering verse 1. You see, it's great to underline promises in the Bible. But most of the promises in the Bible are conditional. There's two parts. There's God's part, and there's our cooperative part.

Even when it comes to receiving something from the Lord, Jesus said, ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened. There is always our part, some kind of condition, some kind of part.

And so it says in the beginning part of the verse, blessed is he who considers the poor. It's important that you see the condition before you start claiming all of the goodies. Let me give you a good example. It goes right along with this verse. Turn to one of the most famous verses in Philippians, chapter 4. Flip over to Philippians, chapter 4, verse 19.

It's underlined in most well-read Bibles. And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And we think, oh, yes, that's for me. I'm claiming that. That's my verse. And yet people fail to read before that and pick up the context, therefore the condition. This is not a blanket promise to anyone just to rip out of the scripture and say, great, I'm going to memorize it, write it on a little note, tuck it in my pocket, and read it during the day, because that's my verse. There's a condition to it.

Look up at verse 13. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Verse 10, that's the full context. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me, which means financial care, has flourished again. Though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. That means in the past, you wanted to, but you couldn't do it.

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned that whenever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full, to be hungry, to abound, to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well that you shared in my distress.

Now, you Philippians know also in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica, you did send aid once and again for my necessities. The church at Philippi was so loved by Paul, because when Paul was in a jam, they bailed him out.

When he ran out of finances, the Philippians said, hey, don't worry. We'll support you, man. We believe in your ministry. We'll not only pray for you, but we'll give you some financial support. You're out there on the mission field.

For even in Thessalonica, you did send aid once and again for my necessities not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed, I have all in abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things which were sent to you, a sweet-smelling aroma and acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

It's important to note that the word "full" in verse 18 and the word "supply" and verse 19 are the same exact words in Greek. He is saying, you supplied my need. I was poor and needy, and you gave. Therefore, my God shall supply all your needs. That's exactly what he's saying. That's the context.

And that's the context of the psalm. Blessed is he who considers the poor or the weak. Who see someone and, even if he really doesn't have all that much, he shares what he has. He becomes an instrument of God to minister and to bless. Then you can claim all of the promises that come after it. But don't you dare try to claim a promise when you haven't met the condition.

And many try to do that. They pull out, ask and you shall receive. Ask anything in my name, and I'll do it for you. And they think, great. Without realizing that he was talking to disciples. And in the same context of that reading, he said, if anyone will be my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross, follow me.

Abide in me, and I and you. And Jesus said, if you abide in me, you will ask whatever you will, and it shall be done to you. It's a condition and a promise.

See, a lot of Christians really get freaked out. How come it's not working the way it should? It is working the way it should. That's why it's important when you read your Bible, you just don't underline the verses that look good to you. But you capture what God is saying. Come on His terms.

I said, Lord be merciful to me. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. My enemies speak evil of me. When will he die and his name perish? Horrible thing to have said to you.

And if he comes to see me, he speaks vain words. His heart gathers iniquity to itself. When he goes out, he tells it. All who hate me whisper together against me. Against me, they devise my hurt. An evil disease, they say, clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more. Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Now, it's not very difficult to figure out when David penned these words. It was probably during the time that Absalom revolted against him. And even his own trusted counselors, one by the name of Ahithophel-- remember Ahithophel?

He claimed to be David's friend. He said that he loved David, he'd be his counselor, but he was a snitch. He was giving information over to Absalom's side, and he defected over to Absalom's side. He was David's close friend.

Those who are closest to us have the capacity to hurt us the deepest. It is always that way. The closer the relationship, the more that love is established in that relationship. That person occupies a very important position, which makes the persons involved very vulnerable.

Husbands and wives, you know what I mean. The most horrible things can come from your mouth like they can come from no one else's mouth. You know what buttons to push, don't you? You know just what things to say to your wife or your husband that will make them feel degraded, and hurt, and useless. You know what to say, because you know the person. Because you've spent time with them, and you love them.

Who ate my bread, he has lifted up his heel against me. And of course, Jesus used this in referring to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. But you, O Lord, be merciful to me and raise me up that I may repay them. By this, I know you are well pleased with me, because my enemy does not triumph over me.

As for me, you uphold me and my integrity. You set me before your face forever. In other words, you're going to be checking me out, and watching me, and making sure I'm OK. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

Now, you'll be able to tell the end of each book of Psalms-- there's five books-- by this phrase. "Amen and Amen." In other words, it's not just amen, but it's amen and amen. That closes not only the Psalm but the whole book.

Now we get to book 2, and there are differences. The big difference you will notice is that God is addressed more in the second book of Psalms than Yahweh, or Jehovah, or the Lord as it's translated in most of your translations. The word El, is used or Elohim. The word God is used more than the word Lord, as was used in the previous books. And this is by many different authors who have penned these psalms, put them together to form the second book.

So it says, to the chief musician, a contemplation of the sons of Korah. 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. When shall I come and appear before God?

Have you ever been so dry and so parched for God's fellowship that you just long, just like a thirsty animal who needs to get a drink? You say, God, it's been so long since I've heard from you and felt your fellowship and your joy. And I just long to drink that sweet fellowship once more. That's what David was praying for as he felt depressed and discouraged.

Now, we have covered Psalm 42 and 43 in this morning's Bible study when we dealt with spiritual depression. That was our topic this morning. So we'll skip over to Psalm 44.

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us what deeds you did in their days, in days of old. Psalm 44 has a background of a military defeat. Obviously, the Israelites went to war, they got wiped out, and they're trying to figure out why.

Lord, I don't understand. We've read the books. We understand that you have defeated the enemies of Israel. And we go to war, and we get wiped out. We haven't done anything wrong. What's the deal?

We tend to, as I have said, underline our favorite nice psalms and scriptures, and really don't tend to underline and claim psalms like Psalm 44. However, the questions and the feelings that emerge out of this psalm are the honest feelings that we all feel, and questions we all ask from time to time.

Lord, I don't understand. If you'd just show me what I've done wrong to bring this about. I don't understand why I'm going through this. Did I do something wrong? Did I incur judgment? I thought you were a God of love? What happened? I'm confused.

We have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us what you did in their days and days of old how you drove out the nations with your hand. But them you planted, how 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 arms save them. But it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your countenance, because you favored them.

I see several important principles in these verses. Number one, the importance of knowing the full scoop of Bible history. The Jew could always look back to all that God had done in his nation from day one, from the creation all the way up to his time. He made it his aim to learn biblical history and the way God dealt with the Jewish people in different periods.

Because of that, because knowing the past and knowing the Bible, he was able to pull out from the past all the wonderful promises of God. That's why it's important to know the whole Bible. That's why we're committed to not just teaching the New Testament, but to spend an awful lot of time in the Old Testament. Number one, because Christians, by and large, are so ignorant of the Old Testament. And they are unaware of God's dealing in the past.

And it's important that we just don't have a few verses to cling on to, but we know how God works at different periods. It'll help us to walk stronger. The New Testament, the book of Corinthians, Paul says, all of these things were written as examples to us upon whom the ends of the age of calm. And so we spend a lot of time going through the character studies, and going verse by verse through the Old Testament, as well as the New.

It's interesting, though. It also says in verse 2, how you drove out the nations with your hand, but them-- that is the Israelites-- you planted, how you afflicted the peoples, and you cast them out. As David-- or as the children of Israel at this time-- looked back in their history, they saw the wonders of God. And that was to give them faith for the future as they looked back on their past.

However, if you examine the accounts of God giving the children of Israel the land of Canaan-- taking them through the wilderness, taking them out of Egypt, giving them the promised land-- there's the account of faith, and there's the account of unbelief. Remember, Moses sent in 12 spies. Moses said, OK, I'm going to send you into the land of Canaan. You 12 guys scout out the land, tell us what it looks like, and give us a report.

Is it cold in here, by the way? How many are cold, raise your hand? How many think it's fine, raise your hand? OK, majority wins. Best thing to do-- dress in layers.

The 12 spies came back. Joshua and Caleb said, it's great. It's a wonderful land. It's flowing with milk and honey. God's going to give us the land.

And the 10 spies said, no, there's giants in the land. There's fortified cities. They're going to eat our lunch.

And Joshua and Caleb said, ah, you wimps. Let's trust the Lord. He's given us the land. God is big enough to handle any old giant. Let's go in and take it.

But the children of Israel believed the report of the 10 spies, and the 10 spies said, we are but grasshoppers in their sight even as we are in our own sight. That was their perspective, unbelief. Because of that report, and because the children of Israel decided not to trust God but believe the worst, they had to wander around in the desert for 40 years until they got to the edge of the land.

And as they were at the Jordan, Joshua sent two spies into Jericho. Moses sent 12, Joshua sent two. He learned a lesson-- don't send 12. Only two came back with a good report. The rest of the 10 wimped out, so let's just send two this time. Don't need 12.

To went in, crossed over, went into Jericho, and spoke to a woman named Rahab, who was a harlot. She hid the spies in her house up on the roof in stalks of flax. And she told them an interesting account of what happened 40 years ago when the children of Israel first want to enter the land.

And she said, you know, we have heard all that God did to the Egyptians, and how He wiped out the Egyptians, and how He opened up the Red Sea. Even miles away, we heard all of those reports in Canaan.

We knew what was going on. We heard how that defeated Og and Sihon, all those kings who were against you. And she said, and the dread and the fear of the children of Israel came upon us so much that our hearts were melting within us.

Now, that is the perspective that the Canaanites had of the children of Israel. Oh, here comes the children of Israel. They are going to wipe us out. And yet those 10 spies were saying, oh, we're grasshoppers in their sight. When in actuality, the children of Israel were giants in their sight.

That's what God had done, but that's what unbelief will do. It will rob years of potential. It can destroy years of serving the Lord, because a person won't step out and believe God. Two different accounts.

Verse 3. For they did not gain possession by the land by their own sword, nor did their own arms save them. But it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your countenance, because you favored them. I love to read the account of Joshua settling the land. As Joshua entered the land, he was all ready to take his military might, his engines of war, organize the people, and come against Jericho.

Before the battle, an interesting character met him, a guy called the captain of the Lord's host, back in Joshua chapter 5. And as Joshua turns around, he sees this captain of the Lord's host appearing with a sword that's drawn. Joshua gets a little shaken. He goes, who are you? Hey, whose side are you on?

The captain says, that's not the question, pal. The question is, whose side are you on? And he says, I am going to be the one who will go before you in battle, and I'm going to wipe out the Canaanites. I'm going to destroy Jericho. And the Lord is going to get the victory and the glory, not you by your military might.

And he says, now, Joshua, I've got a plan. I know you're a general. It's going to be tough for you to hear these things, but here it is. I want you to march around the city once a day for six days. Just march. Sing songs of praise. Bring the Ark of the Covenant around. Worship the Lord. Blow your horns.

OK, that's easy. That's great. Good plan. Get the people noticing us, looking at us. Yeah, they'll see as we march around how powerful we are. And then we'll attack them, right?

No, not quite. On the seventh day, you'll march around again seven times. Not once-- seven times on the seventh day.

Wow, seven times. That'll really get their attention. Then we attack, right? No. After the seventh time, you blow your horn.

Wow, that's great. Then we attack, right? No. You blow your horn. And as soon as you blow your horn the last time, the walls will just fall down.

Now, can you imagine a military general going back to his troops and giving him that kind of information for a battle plan? Got the plan, guys. Right, what is it? Well, you can put your spears back. But get your horns out.

And God so totally defeated those in Jericho so that the children of Israel could ever say, hey, pretty good, eh? Great army. God gave them the victory. They didn't learn from it.

They went over to Ai, and they thought, oh, hey, look what we did in Jericho. Let's go defeat them the men at Ai. In fact, we don't even need our whole army. We'll just take a few men.

In their pride, they went over to Ai, and God let several of the children of Israel die because of their pride. And the men of Ai chased the children of Israel all the way back to camp. And they cried out, O God, why'd you let us get defeated?

God said, you never asked me to go into that battle. I never let it. You went on your own power and your own pride. And that it always was a lesson to the children of Israel that 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. You are my King, O God.

Command victories for Jacob. Through you, we will push down our enemies. Through your name, we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But you have saved us from our enemies. And that put to shame those who hate us. In God, we boast all day long.

That is God's desire, that He will so do His work through us so that we will never be able to boast. It's exactly what Paul said in Corinthians. He said, look at your calling, brethren. How that after the flesh, there's not many mighty, not many noble, not many wise who are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Those that are base, those that are weak, to put to shame those that are mighty, that no flesh would glory in His presence.

That's why I detest people who put other people up. You know, people love long, flowery introductions, and long titles after their name, and all these accomplishments. And oftentimes somebody will say, oh, no wonder he's so powerful. Look at all of the degrees he has, and look at all of the magazines he's written, and look at all the-- on and on.

Therefore, God oftentimes goes out of His way to pick Joe Nerd, the most unlikely person. That's why I rejoice. Because I'm a perfect candidate. And God says, eh, that guy. If I use him, people will know it's me. I'll get the glory, no doubt about it. He's rough, but I can work with him.

So God will get the glory, and we'll boast in Him all day long, and praise your name forever. Selah, or let it sink in. Think about it. But you have cast us off and put us to shame. A little tone change here. 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 naught, and are not enriched by their price.

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. 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.

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 jackals, 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. God knows what you think and what you feel. You may think that you hide something from God, but we never do.

It says that all things are naked and open before the eyes with whom we have to do. God knows it all. God knows when we give somebody a compliment if its mere flattery, or we really mean it from our hearts. God knows when we sing songs to Him if we really mean it, or we're just mouthing the words.

It's a sobering thing to know that God knows our hearts. And because of that, why try to hide anything from Him? See, in one sense, it's very comforting. God knows everything about us. He knows our hearts. Why not just-- you've got something, confess it to Him. Why try to put on airs before God?

Yet for your sake, we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Now, this is what he's saying and all of the Psalm up to now. It's not because of apostasy that we are suffering all of this reproach, and all of these problems, and all of this defeat. It's not because we've turned away. We are suffering all of this because we belong to you.

For your sake, this is going on. Because we represent you, we're being attacked. And Paul quoted this, and gave this the meaning in Romans chapter 8, when he said, we're accounted like sheep for the slaughter all day long. Yet he added something very beautiful after that. He said, but we are more than conquerors through Christ. Even in that, we are more than conquerors.

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? Our soul is bowed down to the dust. Our body clings to the ground. Arise for help, and redeem us for your mercy's sake.

Now, notice Psalm 45. It says, to the chief musician, set to the lilies. Or in Hebrew, shoshannim, which means flowers. And probably this was a psalm that was to be sung around the springtime, probably Passover. A contemplation of the sons of Korah. A song of love.

Psalm 45 has become one of my favorite psalms because it is a picture of the Messiah. The ancient rabbis, in going through this Psalm, believed that this referred only to the coming Messiah, because the language in this Psalm could not refer to any human being. There is no human on earth that would fit the description in this Psalm.

And the Psalm speaks of the king as a bridegroom meeting his bride. And it's a love song of a wedding feast or a wedding day, where a bride and bridegroom come together. However, the king is not only seen as handsome and as courageous but as divine, because he is called God in the Psalm. And Paul, or the writer of Hebrews, whoever you think that is, makes reference to this.

He says, 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 their 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.

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-- interesting phrasing-- with the oil of gladness more than your companions. All your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia. Out of the ivory palaces by which they have made you glad. King's daughters are among your honorable women. At your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

Now, remember-- I hope you remember. We gave you a term about three different times or four different times in the study on psalms, and it's the word "anthropomorphism." If you don't remember the word, I really could care less. But let me explain what it means so you know what's going on here.

God is transcendent above humanity. That is, His ways are not our ways. They're above our finding out. Because God is so different from men, the only way we can understand God is, number one, God has to reveal himself to us. And number one, it often has to be couched-- number two-- has to be couched in language that human beings can understand.

If God was written about simply as He is, you probably wouldn't be able to understand it. And so the writers of the Bible speak about things like the hand of God, the eyes of God, under the shadow of His wing, God is my rock, my fortress, because those are pictures and words we can understand. That's human language. So God being described in human terms is called an anthropomorphism.

One of my favorite metaphors in all of the Bible to describe God's relationship to his people is that of a bride and bridegroom. Because the most intimate relationship among human beings is the relationship of marriage. And it shows me God's love, that God does not want to know you as a distant God, and a little being upon the earth.

But God will only be satisfied when he knows his people as a bride and a bridegroom know each other, love each other, intimately are acquainted with one another. Pour out their hearts to one another. Work through the hard times together. That's the relationship God wants with his people. And this relationship is predicted. It's spoke about right here in Psalm 45. A beautiful, beautiful illustration, a figure of speech, about a bride and bridegroom.

The reason I love it so much is because this analogy closes a gap that people introduce when they speak about God. A lot of people talk about God as being O distant one up there somewhere. O the good Lord. Instead of my personal Savior Jesus Christ. God never wants to be distant from His creation. Always close. And this analogy always closes the gap.

You know, I have done lots of weddings since I've been in the ministry. And I see couples come up to this platform and other platforms of other places where we do weddings, and they say the vows. And we talk about marriage. And I say, now, will you have so-and-so to be your God-given wife and husband in this covenant of marriage, will you love him, honor him, forsaking all others, live only unto him as long as you both shall live? Yep, I will.

I love to hear those words. But I always wonder, do they know what it means? Do they know what that kind of intimate commitment entails? And do they know that a marriage relationship was given by God to depict the relationship God has to his church spoken about in Ephesians 5?

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Wives, submit to your husbands, and everything is to the Lord. He says, I speak this as a mystery. I'm speaking concerning Christ and the church. A marriage relationship is to be a living demonstration to the world of how God loves his people.

And when a marriage is together, and a husband loves his wife, and a wife loves her husband, and they demonstrate that kind of love, and there's a unity and a beauty, the world looks at that and says, oh, that's the kind of relationship God wants. Oh, that's beautiful. But when a relationship is torn by strife, envy, bitterness, selfishness, it becomes a rotten testimony to the world.

And that's why I'm convinced that Satan is attacking the home to destroy the witness of the church. I'm convinced that we need to give priority to the home and to marriages. I'm sold out to those principles.

And so we have pre-marital classes. Have to attend them before we'll marry you. We have classes after your marriage-- marriage enrichment. We have parenting classes. We're committed to those principles of the home and the family, because that speaks of their relationship with God.

Verse 6. You're throne, O God, is forever and ever. Now, the writer of Hebrews, as we said, brings out this verse. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 8. Paul says, to which of the angels did he ever say this to? He didn't. But to the Son, he said, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.

Now, God calls Jesus God. It's so plain in Hebrews chapter 1. The Father says, your throne, O God, and it says he's speaking to the Son. Now, the Jehovah Witnesses get awfully , upset and the Mormons do, too, when you speak about Jesus being God. Oh, how could you.

Well, listen, God calls Jesus God, and that's good enough for me. And often the argument is, well, it's not written about here, and it's not written-- how many times does God have to tell you something before you believe it? He says He's God. It's claimed in John chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1 and 2. Many times throughout the scripture.

The Jews sought to kill Jesus because he was continually making himself equal with God. And yet people have a tough time believing what the Bible says. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.

Now, verse 10 says, listen, O Daughter, consider and incline your ear. Forget your own people also, and your father's house. So the King will greatly desire your beauty, because He is your Lord. Who is the King? God. Who is the King? The Lord.

Because he is your Lord, worship Him. The daughter of Tyre will be there with a gift. The rich among the people will seek your favor. The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace. Her clothing is woven with gold. They 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.

Instead of your fathers shall be your sons in whom you shall make princes and all the earth. I will make your name to be remembered in all generations. Therefore, the people shall praise you forever and ever.

You might, on your own, want to read Revelation chapter 19, which beautifully dovetails with this account. It speaks about the marriage supper of the Lamb. And then, after the marriage feast, the Lamb coming to His people who reject Him. And He comes as pictured in this psalm, with a sword and a scepter, taking vengeance upon his enemies.

But keep in mind verse 11. The King greatly desires your beauty because He is your Lord. Worship Him. Worship Him.

You who are married, do you remember your courtship, the days you dated? Weren't they magical days? Love notes, candy, phone calls. Mushy, gushy feelings. Wonderful.

That romantic aspect of a relationship needs to be consciously worked on in a marriage, because it's so often easily lost. It can become business as usual. And it's important that husbands court their wives, and wives respond.

There is that working on that intimacy, that freshness. So it is in our relationship with the Lord. Because the King-- your husband, Jesus Christ-- is your Lord, He greatly desires the beauty of worship. He desires you, and He desires when you worship Him and respond to Him lovingly in a courtship relationship.

See there are many Christians who say, well, I'm theologically correct. I do this right, I do that right, and I don't do this, and I don't do that. I don't do that. It's easy to claim a negative purity. My question to you is, what do you do for your bridegroom Jesus Christ?

Listen to what Francis Schaeffer says concerning this. "We must ask, do I fight merely for doctrinal faithfulness? This is like the wife who never sleeps with anybody else but never shows love to her husband. Is that a sufficient relationship in marriage? No, 10,000 times no. If I am a Christian who speaks and acts for doctrinal faithfulness but do not show love to my divine bridegroom, I am in the same place as such a wife.

What God wants from us is not only doctrinal faithfulness, but our love, day by day. Not in theory, mind you, but in practice. Those of us who are children of God must realize the seriousness of modern apostasy. We must urge each other not to have any part in it. But at the same time, we must be the loving true bride of the divine bridegroom in reality and practice, day by day, in the midst of the spiritual adultery of our day

Our call first is to be the bride faithful, but that's not the total call. The call is not only to be the bride faithful but also the bride in love." Boy, that says it. That says it. And that's where worship comes in, I believe, because it says, because He is your Lord, we are to worship Him.

The word "worship" in Greek literally means to kiss toward. The Bible is filled with ways of expressing physically our love to the Lord. Clapping our hands, raising our hands, bowing down, dancing, singing. Many people, their worship life is so dead. For them, a song service is 20 minutes to kill before the study so they can get out. It's so sad. They've never really entered in and learned how to use those songs as tools to encounter the Lord Jesus Christ in worship.

And sad to say it is not only the fault of people. It is the fault of many churches. Because in many churches, about the only outlet of worship and the only position of the body that is allowed is sitting. That's it. Somebody raises their hand, oh, drawing attention to himself. Don't do it, get out of here.

I encourage you to use the times of singing, worship, to enter in and express your love as a bride to a bridegroom. O Lord, I love you. Lord here's my hands, I lift them up to you. Don't do it if it's not real, but be open to it.

You say, I don't need to show any physical relationship to my bridegroom. What if a wife said that? What a rotten marriage they'd have. Or if a husband said, I told her I loved her, once, 20 years ago on the day we got married. Isn't that good enough? She should believe me. I don't lie.

There needs to be a constant affirmation and showing of that kind of love. Or the relationship, as you all know who have experienced it, rots and decays. So it is in a relationship with God. Don't be afraid to express that love to the Lord. You're the bride of Christ.

Heavenly Father, we are honored to be called not only your children but your bride. We relish in the fact that the living God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, draws so close to us that that's the kind of relationship He desires. We are humbled by that, God. And yet we are honored to be called your children and your bride.

And Lord, we look forward to the day when we will feast for seven years at the marriage supper of the Lamb, sitting over a meal with you in sweet communion and fellowship. Spending the rest of eternity on top of that in the kingdom age with you. We look forward to that with great joy.

I pray, Lord, that our walks with you would be fresh. We would not settle for ho-hum, for status quo, for a trip to the church. We would settle for nothing less than the intimate love relationship that you desire. We would use our worship to kiss toward our bridegroom. We ask it in Jesus' name, and everyone who agreed said, amen.