Boker Tov! If you are watching this vid in real time, we have just finished the Feast of Unleavened Bread and we are counting the Omer toward Shavuot (Pentecost Sunday, in the Christian tradition). It was at this time, in the first century CE that Yeshua was making His post-resurrection appearances. And, it was at Shavuot that the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit was given. We will converse more together about that in a few weeks. For now, though, we are moving on into our study of the Psalms. I hope you are enjoying this study! It has been an unexpected blessing in my life.
Open your copy of the Scriptures with me to Psalm 14, where we will take up our exploration this morning. As you have noticed, for the most part my teaching in the Psalms has been in order, from the first psalms and proceeding through toward the latter psalms. But there are two Psalms which are very similar in language and which also deal with the very same topic. Those are Psalms 14 and 53. So we're going to look at those first this morning. This one that we're going to look at first, Psalm 14, deals with the topic of the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, who conquered the land of Judah. Psalm 53 deals with the destruction of the Second Temple by the Roman emperor, Titus. David prophesied in Psalm 14 that Nebuchadnezzar would enter the sanctuary of the temple to defile it and destroy it, and that no one would attempt to prevent him from doing this. Psalm 14 was created by David in response to his enemies. But, in later generations, Israel saw that David's words applied to the enemies of their times as well. So here we have a Psalm that had both personal meaning for David and also national historical meaning for all of Israel.
Again, on the day this teaching airs, we are standing on the cusp of Yom HaShoah, “Holocaust Remembrance Day”. This day commemorates the incomprehensibly evil extermination of approximately 6 million Jews. Along with the heinous attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, this historical massacre is a stark example of hatred of God’s chosen people. It is these types of folks that are described in Psalms 14 and 53. As I have said before, anti-Semitism is a demonic spirit that has been active as far back into history as the mind can travel, even as far back as the family of Ya’akov (Jacob).
How does Psalm 14 describe these people? Look at the first part of verse 1.
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ לְדָ֫וִ֥ד אָ֘מַ֤ר נָבָ֣ל בְּ֭לִבֹּו אֵ֣ין אֱלֹהִ֑ים
Fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”, according to the CJB.
But, literally, it says, “He said, a fool, in his heart, there is no Elohim.”
The Hebrew word for “fool” here is the same as the name of Abigail’s husband, Nabal, who foolishly declined to help David and his mighty men, as they were fighting the enemies nearby, when Abigail took the reins to help David and his army, thereby preventing the king’s anger from exacting vengeance on her whole household. He later took her as one of his wives, if you recall, after the premature death of her foolish husband.
Note that the fool says this in his heart. The Midrash Shoker Tov points out that fools are controlled by their hearts, giving free rein to their carnal impulses, whereas the righteous person exercises control over his or her heart, dominating their baser passions with a firm hand.
The translation that is used in the ArtScroll series volume “Tehillim” translates “fool” as “degraded man”, because when a man denies the existence of God and His moral standard, the acts of followin one’s own sinful passions degrades a person. People who claim to not believe in God are usually very vocal about their lack of belief in God’s existence. Yet, the very fact they constantly soothe their consciences in this manner is an eloquent proof of God’s very existence!
The “fool” being referred to here, prophetically, the Jewish sages say, is King Nebuchadnezzar, who had no fear that the God of the Jews would bring down any retribution on his head for his destruction of the First Temple.
Verse 1 goes on to implicate similarly the henchmen of the evil ruler, stating that all of them are corrupt and acts despicably, to thwart the purposes of God in the world.
I did my best to abstain from leaven during the recent festival. However, I made a slip-up when I unconsciously ate a cookie. My husband is not observant, and so this renders the practice of removing all leaven from our home highly impractical, nigh to impossible. I was fixing his lunch last week. He usually wants a sandwich and a few cookies. While doing so, without thinking, I ate a cookie. As soon as I got it in my mouth, I realized what I was doing! It was so easy to make that misstep! I think about this when I read verse 4.
Don’t they ever learn,
all those evildoers,
who eat up my people as if eating bread
and never call on Adonai?
They devour my people as easily as they would devour bread. I have been amazed, most recently, at the anti-Semitic acts being perpetrated on Israel by the Iran-backed Gazans. They are depraved and don’t even make logical sense. And, don’t say, “Oh, it’s Hamas”, because the Gazans do the bidding of their leaders. They elected Hamas, after all. Shortly after the Jews withdrew from Gaza in 2005, basically handing the Palestinians a golden ticket, to create their own “state”, what did the Arab Muslims do? Instead of building civilized infrastructures, they used the money they were given in foreign aid from other Muslim nations to build underground tunnels, in which terrorists hide, store weapons, and fire at Israel from the “cover” of schools, hospitals and mosques. Devouring.
Over 44% of the vote held in 2006, shortly after the Jews withdrew from the area, was to elect Hamas; Hamas won 74 of the 132 seats in the legislative council. And, this has only escalated there until Hamas and the Palestinian people are synonymous in their views. The “Palestinian People”, so called, are not a separate, innocent entity from Hamas. Gaza = Hamas.
Here are some examples of their “devouring” of late: Hamas lies continually. They lie about casualty numbers. They misappropriate old photos and lie that they are current photos from the war. Recently, in the Jewish Chronicle, an outlet called The Guardian admitted that it had used a photo of an ancient synagogue in a story to illustrate “Israeli suppression” of Palestinian history.
Hamas is even lying currently about their claims they are winning this war. Never mind that because Hamas won’t agree to a peace deal Israel is taking land back in Gaza, choking Hamas off financially, killing off its leadership by eliminating terrorists one by one, and relocating hundreds of thousands of Gazans to other countries....but, oh yes! Hamas is “winning”. It’s insane.
That’s what evil does to people - - it renders them incapable of rational thinking.
In verse 5, moving on, we see that statement that God is with the righteous generation. I want to tell you about an example of this, which happened in the early days of Nebuchadnezzar’s conquering of Judah. It happened in stages, over a period of years. Eleven years before the Temple was destroyed, Nebuchadnezzar exiled to Babylon 10,000 of the most phenomenal Torah scholars of that day. (We find this recorded in 2 Kings 24:10-16.). Sounds like a tragedy, does it not? But, listen to what God did. Those 10,000 men took with them Jerusalem stones, which they used when they arrived in Babylon to build a great synagogue. Not only that, they took the knowledge of Torah necessary to establish a flourishing spiritual community in a heathen land. Therefore, when Daniel and the other exiles arrived in Babylon, there was an organized community of faith waiting there to greet them. Babylon went on to be a spiritual center for Judaism for hundreds of years! This happened due to the hand of God being with the righteous. He took care of them all along. Had He not made this preparation beforehand, it would have been much more difficult for Judaism to flourish in Babylon during the exile.
Verse 7 was fulfilled in 1948, when the Lord God brought about the re-establishment of a Jewish nation in its ancestral land. Back briefly to the topic of Yom HaShoah ... I was reading this morning a post by John Parsons, in this regard. He made the point that the establishment in 1947 by the United Nations of a Jewish state was the direct result of the regret of the world’s nations for their cowardice and self-deception exercised during the Holocaust. Such a move would be completely impossible today, as today’s UN is virulently anti-Israel. But, had there been no Holocaust, there would have been no re-established nation of Israel, it could be argued. Again, the sovereignty of God on display. What the enemy means for evil, God will always use to His divine purposes. HaSatan is so dumb. He constantly thinks he can outwit or outmaneuver The One true God, and he gets out-classed each and every time.
Allright, let’s move on to Psalm 53, where we again see the themes of exile and future redemption.
If you can do a side-by-side view of both these psalms, you will see that they are almost twins. But, Psalm 53 was placed in between psalms 52 and 54 deliberately. Psalm 52 speaks of Doeg, whose evil deeds and slander attempted to prevent David from ascending to the throne. Then, in psalm 54 we learn of the Ziphites, who betrayed David to Saul. Father Yahweh foiled both of these evildoers’ plans thoroughly. Smack dab in between these is psalm 53, which speaks both of David and also of his descendant the Mashiach. It prophesies when Mashiach will come (or return, in the Christian and Messianic belief systems).
In my husband’s weekly, couples, Bible study, we have been studying the book of Revelation. Last week, we began to study the portion where Mashiach returns as the Son of David, as the conquering King. I pointed out that many Christians believe that, like it says in Rev. 19, He will simply return, speak a word, and all His enemies will fall down dead. However, that is not the complete teaching of the whole of Scripture on this matter. Let’s examine this a little further.
The Jews teach that when Messiah comes, he will face opposition and that He will have to wage war. The entire book of Obadiah, for instance, is devoted to the utter destruction of “Edom”, a metaphor for the Semitic descendants of Esau who have fought against the sons of Jacob throughout the past several thousand years. Remember that we have studied about Amalek, the arch-enemy of the Jews, and Amalek was descended from Esau.
Turn to Revelation 19:11-16, and let’s read together. This is from the ISR 1998 translation, an Aramaic translation.
11And I saw the heaven opened, and there was a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True, and in righteousness He judges and fights.a
12And His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns, having a Name that had been written, which no one had perceived except Himselfa –
14And the armies in the heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
15And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations. And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron. And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Ěl Shaddai.
16And on His robe and on His thigha He has a name written: SOVEREIGN OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERS.
These verses as well as others in the Old Testament prophecies indicate that the Mashiach, when He returns, will be first of all a man of war.
Allright, there are two other differences between these two very similar psalms. Both appear in the superscription.
The first is the unfamiliar term “Machalat”. It is believed by the Jewish sages to refer to an instrument that produces mournful tones, reminiscent of weeping or sorrow. Think bass clarinet or cello-type tones. We don’t know the exact features of such an instrument, but we can get a good idea of the types of sounds it produced. This instrument was not referenced in psalm 14. The sages hypothesize this is because the tragedy of the Second Temple’s destruction by Titus in 70 CE was exponentially worse than the destruction of the First Temple. The lying in waste of the first only lasted about 70 years, whereas the destruction and lying waste of the second has lasted centuries and centuries, about 20 of them, to be exact.
The second unfamiliar term (to many of us) is “maskil”, another term absent from Psalm 14. The ArtScroll commentary on this psalm, from the book “Tehillim” defines Maskil like this: “a psalm composed with special intellectual effort to serve as an instructive essay devoted to heightening Israel’s comprehension of God’s ways.” Who can comprehend God’s ways? We seem to eagerly embrace them in times of joy. But, when we are confused, hurt, troubled, anxious, in pain ... it can be extremely difficult to appreciate His divine plan. Such was the case when the Jews saw their beloved Temple destroyed and found themselves dispersed to the ends of the earth. As the decades passed, and the dispersed Jews continued to grope along, trying to make sense of it all, feeling abandoned and forlorn, this psalm helped and still helps not just Jews, but all of God’s faithful, to gain increased understanding of God’s sovereignty, and of His ways, which are entirely just. We find the use of this term, maskil, in other psalms, such as Psalm 32:11.
As the “fool” in Psalm 14 is believed to refer to King Nebuchadnezzar, the “degraded man” or “fool” in Psalm 53 is believed to prophesy concerning Titus, the Roman Emperor who ordered the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
Psalm 15, another Davidic psalm, deals with our interactions with our fellow man. The sages say that David probably wrote this psalm after distasteful dealings with men of low character who may have kept the letter of Torah, but still violated the principal of it by not dealing with his brethren in integrity. Therefore, this psalm lays out 11 principles for dealing lovingly with one’s fellow man. The psalm opens by the psalmist who may dwell in the tent of the LORD? David then goes on to give the 11 cardinal principles. You might call them David’s Torah addendum, because they go “beyond the minimum requirements of the Torah”.
Here they are:
Live a blameless life. Walk in perfect innocence.
Behave uprightly. Do what is right.
Speak truth, from the heart.
Have no slander on your tongue.
Do no evil to your friend.
Do not seek to discredit your neighbor.
Look with scorn upon the vile. The despicable should be repulsive to you.
Honor those who fear Adonai.
Keep your word, no matter the cost. Don’t retract, even when it hurts to fulfill your promise.
Do not be usurious when lending money. Don’t charge outrageous interest or terms.
Don’t take bribes. Refuse a bribe, as this will damage the innocent.
A pretty good list, I’d say.
The psalm ends with the promise that the person who lives these life practices will not falter. Rather, he or she will “never be moved”. Reminds me of that old gospel song, “I Shall Not Be Moved”.
We will end with Psalm 16 today, a very beautiful psalm that speaks both of David’s humility as well as of his love for his God.
Let’s begin by reading it, and this is the CJB translation. I hope you have your copy of Scripture, because we are really going to dig in on this psalm.
(0) Mikhtam. By David:
(1) Protect me, God,
for you are my refuge.
2 I said to Adonai, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good outside of you.”
3 The holy people in the land are the ones
who are worthy of honor; all my pleasure is in them.
4 Those who run after another god
multiply their sorrows;
To such gods I will not offer
drink offerings of blood
or take their names on my lips.
5 Adonai, my assigned portion, my cup:
you safeguard my share.
6 Pleasant places were measured out for me;
I am content with my heritage.
7 I bless Adonai, my counselor;
at night my inmost being instructs me.
8 I always set Adonai before me;
with him at my right hand, I can never be moved;
9 so my heart is glad, my glory rejoices,
and my body too rests in safety;
10 for you will not abandon me to Sh’ol,
you will not let your faithful one see the Abyss.
11 You make me know the path of life;
in your presence is unbounded joy,
in your right hand eternal delight.
When we studied Psalm 4, we learned that the word “michtam” probably meant a unique instrument. But, Rashi offered a number of explanations, one translation of the word being “crown”, because frequently in the psalms David spoke of taking refuge in the Lord, so often in fact that the phrase encircled his head like a crown. We see this theme in verse one. When David had trouble, which was often, he ran to Father Yahweh for aid and protection.
Ibn Ezra sees the word applied to this psalm as a designation that this one is a particularly fine, significant composition.
In verse two, the word translated “you” is in the feminine singular, because in Hebrew, the word for “soul” is feminine. It is believed he is referring to his soul here. IN other words, “my soul, you have said to Adonai, “you are my master”. The Adonai name for God, as I’ve said here many times, means “my masters”, a plural name for the One, True God. I always find that intriguing. The rest of that verse is, literally, “it is not upon You to benefit me.” In other words, God, you owe me nothing good,” ... yet outside of Him nothing good resides. It’s all about Him, isn’t it, folks? Again, in his humility, David takes no credit for the mighty deeds he was empowered by God’s Spirit to do.
In verse 3, David pays homage to the examples of the holy people who went before him, how he was inspired by their ways and accomplishments. The translation “in the land” makes it sound as though these are living people, but in truth, the Hebrew is saying “in the earth” or “in the ground”. In other words, these are dead heroes of old that David is honoring. This is so righteous and holy. I don’t believe in hero worship, but it is a sad fact that in today’s world, at least here in our country, the old, the ancestors are at worst completely forgotten or, perhaps worse, disdained as being ignorant, backward, foolish or irrelevant to the lives of their descendants. I don’t think David is referring specifically to family here, but to Israel’s heroes such as the patriarchs and matriarchs of old, whether of his specific famly or not. Still, the application to today’s family structures is valid. Valid and heartbreaking. Too late will these young fools realize all the treasures they trampled underfoot, I’m afraid. Well, enough of that.
Rashi goes on to comment that it is for the sake of these who have gone before that David has received favor. Maybe because these holy ones prayed incessantly for those who would follow them in this earthly realm. The sages say that the phrase “for the mighty” refers to those who were mighty in how they reverenced the Lord God. David is saying that his one an only desire is to emulate their examples. Of course, he did not have the example of Mashiach, as do we. Our admonition from Paul was to be imitators of the Lord Yeshua in Ephesians 5:1-2, 1 Corinthians 11:1, since He was the very manifestation of Father Yahweh, in flesh, and because His example was utterly holy and perfect.
Verse 4 - - Those who worshipped false gods often tried to imitate the actions of the Levitical priests, because Satan is a counterfeiter. He offers a cheap imitation that has no power. David refused to give those idolaters even the power of his lips speaking their names. Often, we want to debate or argue with someone who does not worship the God of the Bible, and there is a time and place for that. But, there is also a time to just cut off the dialogue and let God deal with them in His own way, choosing instead to pray earnestly for God to have mercy and to send someone else who will better be able to reach them. The key is the attitude of the idolater. Are they genuinely seeking answers, or do they not want to receive truth but are merely wanting to tear your belief down in a condescending manner? If the latter is true, then their hearts are hard, a condition only the Holy Spirit can remedy.
Moving on to verses 5 and 6, which are really paired. What does success look like to you? David defined success as being in right relationship with Father Yahweh, with Him guiding David’s destiny throughout his life. This is very different from the world’s definition of success, which is to get all you can, while you can, as fast as you can, and enjoy yourself as long as you can. The most obvious problem with that philosophy is the question, “How much is enough?” And, the worldly, carnal, self-gratifying answer is: “It’s never enough.” By contrast, David praises Yahweh for being the very essence of his allotted portion and his share. When we ask “how much is enough?”, we are asking the wrong question. The better questions for the disciple of Yeshua are: “How can I get more of Him, move deeper into Him, grow in His grace more fully, walk in His ways more perfectly?” Because HE is ENOUGH.
In verse 6, despite his troubles and precarious situations throughout his life, David focuses on the great good Yahweh has blessed him with, when he testifies: “Portions have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my estate was lovely to me.” This is the very essence, I believe, of Paul’s statement that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6). David was not an envious man. He did not envy any other person’s “portion”, because he found his to be sufficient for him and perfectly suitable. Our portion of God’s inheritance is perfectly suitable for us as well. May we follow his example in this!
In verses 7 and 8, David emphasizes that when he needs help, advice, counsel, he turns to God. How many of us talk with each other about how when we lie down on our beds at night, we toss and turn, our minds spinning like the ceiling fans so many of us have above our beds? David did not do that. The word translated in the CJB as “intellect” is literally, in the Hebrew, “kidneys”. In the ArtScroll translation “even in the nights my kidneys rebuked me”. Have your kidneys ever rebuked you in the night? “You should not have drank that huge glass of water before bed; now you have to get up ....” I'm joking of course. This Hebrew word used in context refers to that part of the mind that makes decisions, creates ideas and makes plans. Does our mind ever “rebuke” you when you are trying to rest? That is what the night and bedtime are for - - for resting and rejuvenating, not for the mind to be in hyper-drive.
Verse 8 emphasizes that God is near to those who love Him, not in some far-away, lofty skydome, removed from this lowly, earthly sphere. He cares deeply about His children, even to knowing the number of hairs on our heads. (In case you were wondering, AI via Rabbi Google, says that we each have been 90k and 150k per head.). David declared that God was before Him, so that David could keep his eyes on Him, and also beside him, so that if David were to stumble, God would be right there to catch him.
In verse 9 begins with “therefore” or in some translations, “so”. When we see such a summary, transitional word, we should ask what the “therefore” is there for. Here, he is taking all the good stuff he has said in this psalm thus far and making this wonderful, testimonial in verse 9. David emphasizes that, because of all this, because of God’s goodness to him, all the parts of himself - - heart (spirit), soul and flesh - - are elated, rejoicing and restful, in the knowledge that he can be confident in God’s loving care.
Verses 10 and 11 are Messianic. Yes, King David was also a prophet, as we have already seen in earlier psalms. If you look at Acts 2:25-28, you will find Peter quoting Psalm 16:8-11. In Acts 13:35, Paul quotes Psalm 16:10. Did David die? Did his body see corruption? Yes, but David was not abandoned in Sheol. He was embraced, we can safely assume, in the Paradise compartment of Sheol, not in the Hades sector. But, Yeshua, although He died on the execution stake for us, the grave could not hold Him. He burst forth in glorious majesty, on the third day. His body did not see corruption. Yeshua fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 16, and we celebrated this fact on Nisan 17 or in some practices this past weekend, if you are watching this broadcast in real time.
Let’s look at the verses from Acts 2:22-36, from the CJB.
22 “Men of Isra’el! Listen to this! Yeshua from Natzeret was a man demonstrated to you to have been from God by the powerful works, miracles and signs that God performed through him in your presence. You yourselves know this. 23 This man was arrested in accordance with God’s predetermined plan and foreknowledge; and, through the agency of persons not bound by the Torah, you nailed him up on a stake and killed him!
24 “But God has raised him up and freed him from the suffering of death; it was impossible that death could keep its hold on him. 25 For David says this about him:
‘I saw Adonai always before me,
for he is at my right hand,
so that I will not be shaken.
26 For this reason, my heart was glad;
and my tongue rejoiced;
and now my body too will live on in the certain hope
27 that you will not abandon me to Sh’ol
or let your Holy One see decay.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
you will fill me with joy by your presence.’[b]
29 “Brothers, I know I can say to you frankly that the patriarch David died and was buried — his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that one of his descendants would sit on his throne, 31 he was speaking in advance about the resurrection of the Messiah, that it was he who was not abandoned in Sh’ol and whose flesh did not see decay. 32 God raised up this Yeshua! And we are all witnesses of it!
33 “Moreover, he has been exalted to the right hand of God; has received from the Father what he promised, namely, the Ruach HaKodesh; and has poured out this gift, which you are both seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into heaven. But he says,
35 ‘Adonai said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’[c]
36 Therefore, let the whole house of Isra’el know beyond doubt that God has made him both Lord and Messiah — this Yeshua, whom you executed on a stake!”
Verse 35 here, quotes Psalm 110:1.
I don’t think it is accidental that, in verses 8 and 11 we see a contrast in the terms “right hand”. In verse 8, David is talking about Father Yahweh being his “right hand man”, a phrase that today means “indispensable helper”. Whereas, in verse 11, it is no accident that we see this phrase referring to Someone who will be at Father’s right hand for eternity.
Now, as we finish up, turn quickly with me for a moment to the story in Acts, concerning the stoning of Stephen. You’ll find that in Acts 7. Look at verses 54-58
54 On hearing these things, they were cut to their hearts and ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Ruach HaKodesh, looked up to heaven and saw God’s Sh’khinah, with Yeshua standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look!” he exclaimed, “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”[t]
57 At this, they began yelling at the top of their voices, so that they wouldn’t have to hear him; and with one accord, they rushed at him, 58 threw him outside the city and began stoning him.
I don’t know about you, but reading about Stephen and the others who gave their lives rather than give up the truth makes me feel very humbled, humbled that I am the recipient of the same saving grace they possessed. But look, here is the point I wanted to make. Do you see what, literally, set the Sanhedrin’s teeth on edge? It was Stephen’s testimony that he saw Yeshua standing at Father Yahweh’s right hand. Do you think they were thinking of Psalm 16? They knew that these verses at the end of Psalm 16 were Messianic prophecies, prophecies about the Messiah. By saying that he saw this in Heaven, Stephen was unequivocally declaring that Yeshua is the promised Mashiach, the One who fulfilled the Messiah Ben Yosef prophecies of the Tanakh in His first coming and who will fulfill the Messiah Ben David prophecies in His second, His return. He was declaring Yeshua to be the Son of God and to be divine, and he was testifying that He was in that day and to this day alive. Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain. To Him be all glory, and honor and wisdom and power and blessing.
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