{Disclaimer: these are my rough teaching notes I use in my Mishkan Katan weekly broadcasts. There will be "typos". Proceed at your own risk, lol. You can find all my Mishkan Katan video teachings on my YouTube channel: genahood2818 Look on the playlist called Messianic LAMB TV Network.}
Boker Tov, and welcome back to Mishkan Katan, where we are moving ahead in our study of the book of Psalms. I so enjoyed examining Psalm 23 with you over the past two teaching sessions. What a great work! So much wisdom, packed into six small verses. Today, then, we will move on to Psalm 24 and beyond. Grab your copy of the Scriptures and let’s get started.
Psalm 24 has 10 verses. So, it is not terribly long. It is another of the Davidic psalms, composed by King David, that is. The sages say that this psalm was composed by David on the day that he purchased from the Jebusites the land that would be the site of the Temple. Let’s look at that story, which is recorded in 2 Samuel 24:18-25. (Note: this story is also recorded in 1 Chronicles 21.)
18 Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go, set up an altar to Adonai on the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Y’vusi.” 19 David went up and did what Gad had said, as Adonai had ordered. 20 Aravnah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. Aravnah went out and prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Then Aravnah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy your threshing-floor, in order to build an altar to Adonai, so that the plague will be lifted from the people.” 22 Aravnah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up anything that seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering; you can use the threshing-sledges and the yokes for the oxen as firewood. 23 All this, O king, Aravnah gives to the king.” Then Aravnah said to the king, “May Adonai your God accept you.”
24 But the king said to Aravnah, “No; I insist on buying it from you at a price. I refuse to offer to Adonai my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for one-and-a-quarter pounds of silver shekels. 25 Then David built an altar to Adonai there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, Adonai took pity on the land and lifted the plague from Isra’el.
Reading this passage, a few questions arise, and without going off on an extended rabbit trail, let me address those briefly. First of all, who was Gad?
Gad was a minor prophet, not in the sense of the writer of one of the so-called “minor prophets” of the Old Testament. Gad was a man who was given a large portion of God’s spirit, in order to carry out God’s plan on the earth. God revealed hidden things to him, as He did to all his prophets, sometimes called seers. Gad attached himself to David as a young man, becoming part of his advisory council when David became king. In addition to advising David well on several occasions, Gad outlived David and helped to write parts of the books of the Chronicles.
Who were the Jebusites, the former owners of the land we now call Jerusalem? And, who was this Aravnah, the Jebusite king? (Aravnah was his Hebrew name. He may be called Araunah, or some such anglicized name in your translation. He was also called Ornan, elsewhere in Scripture.)
The Jebusites were Canaanites, who had not been thoroughly eradicated from the Promised Land, as Father Yahweh had commanded the Hebrew people to do. Accordingly, the site of Jerusalem was still a Canaanite stronghold. After David had reigned in Hebron for 7 years and had united all 12 of the tribes, he decided he needed a new capital. Plus, Gad had come to him and told him the Lord wanted him to acquire the threshing floor of Aravnah, for the site of the Temple. David went up and conquered the Jebusites, bringing them under his rule, and approached Aravnah about the purchase. Aravnah was apparently a good man, but he was not a follower of Yahweh, based on his comment about “your God” to David, as opposed to saying “our God.” Aravnah even offered to give the land to David, who made it clear that was not acceptable, because he would not offer to God offerings that cost him nothing. After the purchase price was agreed on and paid, David put a temporary altar right there on the spot, and offered sacrifices of thanksgiving.
The sages go on to say that David’s intention was that this psalm would be recited on the day the Temple would be dedicated. It is for this reason that, in synagogues, this psalm is recited six days a week as the congregation’s Torah scroll is being returned (after the reading) to its cabinet, called the Ark.
This psalm has also been designated as the Song of the Day for the first day of the week (Sunday). Rabbi Akiva said that on the first day of the week the Levitical singers would sing this psalm in the Temple.
David had a keen sense of how far the earth and mankind had fallen from the original state of holiness, manifested in the Garden of Eden (Gan Ayden). The sages say that, because his heart was so burdened for this, Father Yahweh gave him the plans for the construction of the Temple on Mount Moriah, where the sages believe Adam was created, and then placed into the Garden, according to the Scriptures (Genesis 2:15.)
Indeed, the more I study the Bible, the more I see how the entire story is about returning mankind to a right relationship with his Creator, about returning man to the Garden.
One last “sagely” comment before we read this psalm: the Midrash Shoher Tov records Rav Shmuel saying that there were four psalms composed by David that were so good they could have easily been written by Adam himself. Psalm 24 is one of them.
Now, let’s read Psalm 24 together, keeping in mind what we just learned. I will be reading from the CJB version this morning.
The earth is Adonai’s, with all that is in it,
the world and those who live there;
2 for he set its foundations on the seas
and established it on the rivers.
3 Who may go up to the mountain of Adonai?
Who can stand in his holy place?
4 Those with clean hands and pure hearts,
who don’t make vanities the purpose of their lives
or swear oaths just to deceive.
5 They will receive a blessing from Adonai
and justice from God, who saves them.
6 Such is the character of those who seek him,
of Ya‘akov, who seeks your face. (Selah)
7 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Lift them up, everlasting doors,
so that the glorious king can enter!
8 Who is he, this glorious king?
Adonai, strong and mighty,
Adonai, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Lift them up, everlasting doors,
so that the glorious king can enter!
10 Who is he, this glorious king?
Adonai-Tzva’ot —
he is the glorious king. (Selah)
The earth and all on it, everything in it belong to Father Yahweh, hallelujah! Nothing we think we “own” is truly ours. Verse two speaks to how Elohim created the dry land. In the original Hebrew it is referred to merely as “the dry”. He brought “the dry” up out of the seas, according to Genesis 1:9. He gathered the waters together so that “the dry” appeared.
Verse 3 refers to Father Yahweh’s holy mountain, and we now know this refers to Jerusalem, with its peaks of Moriah and Zion. Even though the whole earth is the LORD’s, this area, the mountains of Jerusalem are super-special. Jews and Messianics believe that Jerusalem has a higher degree of holiness than any other city in the world, and that God’s greatest glory was formerly situated in the Temple that was constructed there.
Verses 4, 5 and 6 tell us that those who truly seek God do so out of a heart that purely longs for Him and demonstrate that by repenting of their sins and turning away from a life that goes against holy living. Verse 4 indicates a person who is pure in three major areas: speech (no false oaths), thoughts (pure heart) and actions (clean palms). He cites the people/descendants of Jacob (Ya’akov) as Exhibit A.
The Jewish sages saw the remaining verses (7-10) as pertaining to the eventual coming through the newly-constructed gates of Jerusalem of the Ark of the Covenant, representing the King of Glory. Once the Ark was in place, in the Holy of Holies, then that small room became the holiest place on Earth, because God’s glory would reside there.
Of course, as believers in Yeshua, His followers, we link this Messianic prophecy to the riding of Yeshua through the gates of Jerusalem at the beginning of His Passion Week, on Nisan 10, Lamb Selection Day (Matthew 21:1-11). Ryan White, one of my favorite Messianic theologians, commented in a recent Substack post that Yeshua usually walked everywhere, but that He sent for a donkey to ride in on, so that he could fulfill the prophecy not only here in Psalm 24, but more specifically in Zechariah 9:9-10. White goes on to point out that, in the culture of the ANE, only kings or priests rode donkeys in such a manner, indicating that our Messiah would be both our king and our high priest, after the order of Melchizedek, as affirmed in the book of Hebrews. Furthermore, according to the customs of the ANE, a king would ride in on a donkey if he was coming in peace; he would only utilize a war-horse if he was coming to make war. Yeshua’s first advent was to bring “peace on earth, goodwill toward men”, in other words, to provide a once-for-all way for mankind to become right with their holy Father/Creator God. That first “battle” was for the souls of men, to bring the peace of salvation to their souls.
Have you wondered why Verse 10 seems to repeat verse 8? I wonder if it is because the Lord Yeshua will return, and this time, He will be returning as conquering King, with legions with Him, as recorded in Revelation. Adonai-Tsavaot means Masters of Hosts/Armies, or the God of Heavenly Armies.
This was a triumphant psalm of King David, whereas, as we have seen, several of his poems/songs have been more like heart-wrenching laments. David was celebrating His God with effusive praise.
Now, we will move on to Psalm 25. Psalms 25 and 26 should be studied together, with 25 being sort of an introduction to 26. In 25, David is begging for divine help so that he can keep his ways pure and upright. He is feeling that struggle with the flesh we all deal with. Then, in psalm 26, he is asking God to test and try him, to see if David is “on the path” where he should be. I'm so humbled by his desire, sincerity, dedication, and courage.
Psalm 25 is the first (in numerical order) of the psalms that have each verse beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This is not perfect, however, because three letters do not appear (bet, vav and kof). Furthermore, two verses begin with raysh. Perhaps this is done as a memory device, to help young Hebrew scholars memorize this somewhat lengthy psalm (22 verses). This points to its importance, according to the sages.
Furthermore, many scholars see Psalm 25 as a chiastic structure, a term which should be familiar to you now, if you have followed my teaching for any period, as I speak of chiastic structures often. I was reading this psalm to myself, as I prepared this teaching. When I got to verse 10, I saw “chesed” (lovingkindness or mercy) and truth, I was struck by the impact of those words, a key theme in Scripture, and I then realized I was near the midpoint of the psalm. This prompted me to research if this was, indeed a chiasm. Bingo! Yes, it is!
The chiasm for this psalm is said to be A-B-C-C1-B1-A1. Remember that, in a chiastic structure, the most key points are in the center of the structure. In this case, I would say the crux of the chiasm is verses 10 and 11. Here is a more detailed breakdown. Again, a review of chiastic structures: the As will mostly match up, as will the Bs and the Cs and so on, as far as the chiasm goes. You may want to pencil these in to the margins of your copy of the Scriptures.
The theme of the A sections (verses 1-3 and 22) is a plea to God in regard to His faithfulness.
The theme of the B sections (verses 4-7 and 19-21) is a request for guidance/instruction
The theme of the C sections (verses 8-18) is a description of God’s character, power and protection over His people.
I think my pre-occupation with chiastic structures has to do with my love for music, which is also organized in sections in a similar manner.
Let’s read Psalm 25 together.
(0) By David:
(1) I lift my inner being to you, Adonai;
2 I trust you, my God.
Don’t let me be disgraced,
don’t let my enemies gloat over me.
3 No one waiting for you will be disgraced;
disgrace awaits those who break faith for no reason.
4 Make me know your ways, Adonai,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth, and teach me;
for you are the God who saves me,
my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember your compassion and grace, Adonai;
for these are ages old.
7 Don’t remember my youthful sins or transgressions;
but remember me according to your grace
for the sake of your goodness, Adonai.
8 Adonai is good, and he is fair;
this is why he teaches sinners the way [to live],
9 leads the humble to do what is right
and teaches the humble [to live] his way.
10 All Adonai’s paths are grace and truth
to those who keep his covenant and instructions.
11 For the sake of your name, Adonai,
forgive my wickedness, great though it is.
12 Who is the person who fears Adonai?
He will teach him the way to choose.
13 He will remain prosperous,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 Adonai relates intimately with those who fear him;
he makes them know his covenant.
15 My eyes are always directed toward Adonai,
for he will free my feet from the net.
16 Turn to me, and show me your favor;
for I am alone and oppressed.
17 The troubles of my heart are growing and growing;
bring me out of my distress.
18 See my affliction and suffering,
and take all my sins away.
19 Consider my enemies, how many there are
and how cruelly they hate me.
20 Protect me and rescue me;
don’t let me be disgraced,
for I take refuge in you.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
because my hope is in you.
22 God! Redeem Isra’el
from all their troubles!
From what I’ve been able to discover, Psalm 25 is not quoted or referenced explicitly in the Brit Chadasha, the New Testament, nor is Psalm 26, which we are going to examine next.
I think it is so interesting what the sages say about this psalm. Earlier, I mentioned that David was asking God to test his purity of heart. The sages say that God responded by allowing David to face the temptation of Bathsheba. And, we all know how that went. The old adage, “be careful what you ask for”, whether you are asking God or a mere human, applies pretty often. The sages say that this psalm has two “tracks”. It was composed after his failure with Bathsheba, so in that view, David was expressing feelings of repentance and remorse over his sinful choices. On the other track, he was conveying his earlier request for a test of character. See what you think, as we explore this psalm.
About divine testing, four men were tested by God and had diverse responses:
Job kicked back and complained, wanting God to “answer him” as to why he was so afflicted.
Another was Abraham who laughed for joy in response. (Isaac/Yitzchak in Hebrew means laughter.)
A third was King Hezekiah who begged that the torment, his deathly illness, be reversed.
And the fourth was David who (figuratively) saw the whip hanging on the wall and cried out to God, “Why is that whip just hanging there? Beat me with it!”, as he cried out “Judge me, Hashem!” David purposefully put himself into testing situations. No wonder he was a “man after God’s own heart”! Later, in learning from his father’s example, Solomon wrote in Proverbs 12:1 “He who loves rebuke/affliction loves wisdom.”
But, there is peril in David’s approach. There’s a bit of pride there, it seems, because David was essentially presuming to claim that he could withstand intense temptation. In verses 6-8 of Psalm 26, he was essentially stating his preparedness to endure and ace the test.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where a small child or a dog was running toward you, and you knew that that child or that dog was going to potentially knock you down when they hit you? So what did you do? Well, you braced yourself, didn't you? You planted your legs as hard as you could into the ground with your feet apart. You bent your knees a little bit. And you braced for impact. This is what I envision David planning to do when he essentially issued this challenge to Father Yahweh.
Now let me ask you another question. Have you ever been hit unawares by a small child or a small pet?? Something you didn't see coming? What happened then? You didn't have an opportunity to prepare yourself for the impact, did you? And so, therefore, you likely landed on the ground. That's the way it is with temptation, often times. If you can prepare yourself for it, “armor up” in Ephesians 6 parlance, you have a better chance of overcoming it. But, when it hits you out of the blue, sometimes the momentum of the temptation itself just overwhelms you, and down you go, like a sack of bricks. Maybe this is pure speculation, but I don't believe that David walked out onto his rooftop looking for a woman to lust after. Still, he walked out on his rooftop that evening, and there was Bathsheba. He had just been hit from behind by a small dog. And the momentum of this unpremeditated encounter catapulted him into a horrific quagmire of sin. Interestingly, the Jewish sages hold Bathsheba blameless in this encounter, because they claim she was a divorced woman. I had never heard this teaching before...They say that it was the practice of David’s army to give their wives a conditional bill of divorce before they would go into a major battle, so that the women could be considered fit for remarriage if their husbands fell in battle.
Sometimes our greatest assets can be our biggest downfalls. In 1 Samuel 15:12, in some translations, it is written that when the prophet Samuel met David and was told by the Spirit that he was the one, to arise and anoint him, Samuel noted that David had “beautiful eyes”. And, how did the prayed-for test of David’s spirit come? As a temptation through his eyes.
Our adversary is crafty, in addition to being evil. His methods are unorthodox. And unholy. Bottom line, I don’t recommend David’s approach, and the Talmud agrees, even though David’s motives toward Hashem were good ones. We need to stay humble and watchful because, as it says in 1 Peter 5:8, our adversary is like a roaring lion, prowling around, seeking whom he may devour.
In Psalm 143, David seemingly makes a contradictory statement, when he basically says “don’t judge me because no living person can be judged righteous before you.” So, how to resolve this? The sages have some ideas, but the most promising one is that David learned from his experiences. He was an older and wiser man by the time he wrote psalm 143. Accordingly, he appealed to God’s mercy, which triumphs over judgment. At the time Psalm 143 was composed, David was fleeing from his traitorous, ambitious son, Absolom. David handled that situation with a grace he never would have had as a younger, more impetuous man.
The sages say David longed to excel as had the Hebrew patriarchs who preceded him. For example, they speak of the “10 Tests of Abraham” in the Talmud, specifically in Pirkei Avot, “Ethics of Our Fathers”, which I spoke of in a recent teaching.
Ethics does not tell us what the tests actually were. There are actually a number of schools of thought about this. Maimonides2, one of the most well-known rabbis lists them as follows: (And, this list is from chabad.org.)
1. G‑d tells him to leave his homeland to be a stranger in the land of Canaan.3
2. Immediately after his arrival in the Promised Land, he encounters a famine.4
3. The Egyptians seize his beloved wife, Sarah, and bring her to Pharaoh.5
4. Abraham faces incredible odds in the battle of the four and five kings.6
5. He marries Hagar after not being able to have children with Sarah.7
6. G‑d tells him to circumcise himself at an advanced age.8
7. The king of Gerar captures Sarah, intending to take her for himself.9
8. G‑d tells him to send Hagar away after having a child with her.10
9. His son, Ishmael, becomes estranged.11
10. G‑d tells him to sacrifice his dear son Isaac upon an altar.12
Note that NOT all of the tests in Maimonides’ list can be found clearly referenced in Scripture. #11 is implied, but not directly quoted.
I don’t mention this to exalt Abraham or demean David. As mentioned earlier, I admire his zeal and his desire to please His Heavenly Father. We have to remember that through him, Father Yahweh established the kingly line from which Mashiach would be born. David was indeed a great man, a man after God’s own heart.
Let’s read Psalm 26 together.
(0) By David:
(1) Vindicate me, Adonai,
for I have lived a blameless life;
unwaveringly I trust in Adonai.
2 Examine me, Adonai, test me,
search my mind and heart.
3 For your grace is there before my eyes,
and I live my life by your truth.
4 I have not sat with worthless folks,
I won’t consort with hypocrites,
5 I hate the company of evildoers,
I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will wash my hands in innocence
and walk around your altar, Adonai,
7 lifting my voice in thanks
and proclaiming all your wonders.
8 Adonai, I love the house where you live,
the place where your glory abides.
9 Don’t include me with sinners
or my life with the bloodthirsty.
10 In their hands are evil schemes;
their right hands are full of bribes.
11 As for me, I will live a blameless life.
Redeem me and show me favor.
12 My feet are planted on level ground;
in the assemblies I will bless Adonai.
In verses 3, 4 and 5, David again uses a pattern he used in Psalm 1. Walk, stand and sit/reside. Vs. 3 he walks in God’s truth. He does not stand or associate with “secret sinners”. He does not sit/reside with the wicked. I thought that was an interesting parallel.
In verse 7, the sages say David was referring to the Hallel psalms, which recount God’s wondrous deeds of the past, BUT also of the present and those expected in the future! For example, in the Hallel, God’s great victory in the battle of Gog and Magog is foretold, the wonders of the Messianic reign during the 7th Millennium, and the wonders of the Olam Haba, the everlasting eternity. That really spoke to me, because how often in our prayers do we do that - - thank God for the wonders He has yet to perform? Our time-bound existence usually obscures and precludes that, but it shouldn’t! We should praise Him for past, present and future victories He wants to accomplish in our lives. What are you asking God for in prayer these days? Are you believing He has already answered? Are you praising him for those future victories?
Verse 8 speaks of the place where God’s glory resides.
Jews today believe that, when the Temple was destroyed, that God came to dwell in the Houses of Prayer, that is the synagogues or other houses of study.
Of course, as the people who belong to Yeshua, the Mashiach, we know and maintain that Father Yahweh sent His Spirit, sometimes referred to as Yeshua’s Spirit, to live in the hearts of the redeemed person, the child of God, so-called because of profession of faith in Yeshua, the only Way, Truth and Life, the one, unique Son of the Father. We claim the verse 2 Corinthians 4:7, which speaks of us followers of Yeshua “having this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” What is this treasure? It is the Spirit of the Living God, the Holy Spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh (Hebrew for “spirit the holy”). He resides in these jars of clay until the believer’s point of death, when body and spirit are separated. He is the down-payment of our salvation, and in this way, the glory of the Father abides, resides, in us.
Finishing up this psalm now ...
Verse 12 became part of the Sabbath prayers. “In the assemblies of the tens of thousands of Your people the house of Israel, with joyous song shall Your Name, our King be glorified in every generation ... even beyond all the songs of praise by David, son of Jesse, Your servant, Your anointed.”
Last night, if you are watching this broadcast in real time, began Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the head of the biblical month of Sivan. There is a traditional prayer that is prayed at this time, actually as the sun sets, to begin the “day”. It is a prayer for one’s children, and it is so beautiful! This is a huge burden of mine, and I prayed this prayer over my two children and their spouses last night. The name of the prayer is Shelah HaKodesh, and you can find it by googling it. I found it on the ArtScroll site last night. Download it and pray it over your children or your future children, as it applies.
Well, we are out of time for today. Shavuot is in five days, again, if you are watching this broadcast in real time. I pray you have a blessed Shavuot/Pentecost celebration.
Shalom!
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