{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! Welcome back to Mishkan Katan. This morning we are going to continue our study of the psalms by looking at Psalm 37.
When we ended psalm 36, I told you that it was sort of a “part one” and that psalm 37 would be sort of like a “sequel” to that. The main theme of Psalm 36 was the claim by evil people that there was no God responsible for our destinies. And, their argument for that was to point to their own success and to take credit for them. The related theme was David pleading for God to appropriately deal with his adversaries, those hopelessly wicked people who were frustrating him. Psalm 37 is the Almighty’s response to David’s plea. The sages say that when the superscription of a psalm says merely “to David”, then it is neither a song nor a prayer, but that it is instead the Sprit of God speaking through David.
Interestingly, His (the Ruach HaKodesh’s) response is to not allow oneself to be bothered by the successes of such evil people. The Bible plainly teaches that since the false god/ruler of this world, HaSatan, has been given his authority from Hashem, accordingly evil people - - those who align themselves with the evil one - - WILL prosper. We should not be surprised by this. However, even righteous people are very tempted to emulate and envy successful people, regardless of how they came by their success. The sages argue that this tendency is why Psalm 37 is so long - - because the righteous need constant reminders to not do this.
Is Psalm 37 mentioned in the New Testament? Yes. Verse 11 is quoted pretty much directly. Let’s look at it and you can see where you might place it in the Brit Chadasha. From the CJB - - -
11 But the meek will inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
Or, “the meek will inherit the earth”….recognize it? Yes, it is from the Sermon on the Mount - - Matthew 5:5.
That is the only direct quote from Psalm 37, but the themes I mentioned a moment ago are echoed elsewhere throughout Proverbs and in other teachings, because they are foundational. The word for “peace” here in verse 11 is, as you might have guessed, is “shalom”, which is most often translated “peace”.
When I was a teenager, there was a popular gospel song entitled, “Why Should I Worry or Fret?” A key line in it was this: “I believe. So, why should I worry or fret?” I think the songwriter of the lyrics must have been thinking of Psalm 37 when he or she (I don’t remember which) wrote those words.
One version of this psalm renders the “do not fret” as “do not compete”. In other words, don’t try to “keep up with the Joneses”. My next-door neighbors began to build their dream home in January 2020. It took them five years to complete it, due to setbacks, covid, market downturns, etc. However, today, it is a truly beautiful show place. There is a small buffer of trees and “forest” between our two homes. On their side of the buffer, they have gone in and cleared out brush, laid down beautiful pine straw, etc. It makes a bit of a contrast to our “wild side”. I’ve wondered if we should do something similar to our section, as it would present a more uniform and visually pleasing aesthetic. However, I have not fretted about it because I am not in charge of the yard. That’s my husband’s territory. But, I mention this as an example. When we get distracted by the accomplishments or possessions of others, we take our eyes off the main thing, which is to glorify our Lord God through our letting Him be magnified through the gifts He has given to us. As the expression goes, “You do you.”
We are not going to parse this psalm verse by verse today. But, as we look over it together, let’s see if there are other ancillary themes we should attend to, hidden gems within these holy words.
Let’s start with verse 3: “Trust in the Lord and do good.” A foundational verse, for sure. The very well-known Jewish sages, Rambam and Rashi both emphasized that faith is the prime cause of all good deeds. Rabbi Bachya interprets that faith is an intellectual concept, but that trust involves translating faith into action. So, you can have faith but not trust, but you cannot trust without having faith. You see … here in the Tanakh we have the same faith principle found all over the New Testament, which may have inspired the half-brother of Yeshua, James/Ya’akov, to write “faith without works is dead.” Note the order here: trust precedes good works. Righteous standing before the Lord has always occurred in that order. Note Abraham - - He believed God, and it was counted for him as righteousness. Father Abraham, lived out his faith, through his righteous and obedient deeds.
In verse 5, we are told to “commit our way” to Hashem. But, that translation doesn’t quite convey the deeper meaning. The Hebrew verb here is more like “roll”. So, what it actually means to throw or cast or roll your burdens onto Hashem. Roll them off your own shoulders and onto the 100% capable “shoulders” of the Lord. 1 Peter 5:7 is a verse that was on a plaster of Paris plaque I made at Bible camp as a middle schooler. It said, “Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” I kept that plaque in my bathroom for years, and that message became so powerful in my life. I’ve never been much of a “worrier”, and I believe one of the reasons is that from that young age, the message was imprinted upon my soul. When we roll our worries, trials and burdens over onto His shoulders, and rely on Him, then He will act. As long as we hold onto them and try to fix them ourselves, He is hindered.
If you are of a certain age, when you were in public school in PE, you probably tossed/received the “medicine ball”. It was a large, heavy leather ball that was used to improve our strength as we tossed it back and forth to each other. We need to think about our worries as a medicine ball, and heave that big, heavy thing onto the Lord. We demonstrate our trust in Him by doing this. It is “faith in action”.
In verse 8 we are admonished to not get angry when we see evildoers prospering. The Hebrew verb here means to “give it up” or to “turn it loose”. Let that anger go as the song from the Disney movie, Frozen - - “Let it go! Let it go!” Forsake it, some translations say.
That is a strong word to me, because when I look around at all the evil surrounding the righteous, it does make me angry. But, verse 8 warns us that if we are not careful, our anger can lead to sin. What type of sin? Well, hate toward those people, for starters.
Verses 16 and 18 are a good pair. We are to content ourselves with what we have - - little, compared to the wealth of wicked people. We have to remember (vs. 18) that our inheritance is not in this world. It resides in the next one, and furthermore, it is an inheritance that will last forever, incorruptible. Matthew 6:19-21, also from the SOTM, echoes this: (TAW)
“You should not place for yourself treasure on earth where the moth and rust corrupt and where the thieves real in and steal. But you place treasure in heaven where neither the moth nor the rust corrupt and where the thieves do not break in, and they do not steal. For where your treasure is, is also where your heart is.”
Solomon in Proverbs 23:17 said, “Do not let your heart be envious of the sinners.” The sages assert that mankind is going to envy something, as it is human nature. They point out that, without desire and zeal, the righteous side of “envy”, no man would take a wife or set out to jake a career. But, instead man’s “envy” must be righteously directed/channeled. The only thing we should envy is the awe and reverence of our God, according to the Midrash Shocher Tov. Similarly, in Galatians 6:14, the apostle Paul said that he boasted only in the cross of Yeshua HaMashiach, because only by the cross is this present world “dead” to him and he himself “dead” to the world.
Another sinful tendency the righteous can become beguiled by is to hold tight to what little they have. However, in verse 21, we are told to be generous, to give lavishly to others who are less fortunate.
Earlier this week, my sister and I were talking about a friend who had recently become a widow. Her late husband had always handled every bit of the family’s finances. She knew nothing about them. She is now panicking about her lack of knowledge and expertise. Fortunately, she has a relative of her husband’s who is both knowledgeable and kind and upright. He is going to walk her through how to handle her finances, until she gets “on her feet.” There are various ways we can be generous, and they don’t all involve money. We can be generous with our time, for example, which is often valued far above a monetary gift.
A big evil in congregations today is the lack of kindness and generosity. It is disheartening to be on an email of over 30 ladies when the call goes out to provide a meal to someone who has been sick or bereaved, and out of that large number of ladies who signed on to help in this regard, only about a half dozen respond to help. To make matters worse, it seems to be the same half dozen or so every time! That’s just one example. There is this pernicious belief that “someone else will do it.” Or, I’m not able to do that as well as someone else. Well, maybe not! But, your kindness and willingness will go far to bear testimony of the love of our God to others, even if your efforts fall short of perfection. Don’t let fear and pride and selfishness prevent you from being a blessing.
If we are doing what verses 30 and 31 instruct us to do, which is to keep the commandments of God in our hearts, then our footsteps will be sure. We will speak justice and articulate wisdom. The commandments of God purify our hearts through the Holy Spirit living within us, and submitting ourselves to the Spirit of God brings peace (verse 37).
Allright, let’s move on now to the next set of psalms, psalm 38 through 41. The reason these are viewed as a “set” is because of their subject matter, which is the illness David was afflicted with because of his sins associated with Bathsheba and her husband, whom David put into a position to be killed in battle. It is believed that psalm 38 was written right after Nathan the prophet came to David to confront him about his sin and to deliver the message from Hashem that the consequences of his sins would be great. David’s response was to become so heartsick over his sin that he actually became sick in his physical body, as well.
What do we do when we are afflicted with a sickness? We usually focus entirely on escaping from it, don’t we? And, who can blame us for that? Being sick is no fun, to say the least. No one wants to be sick. However, David viewed his sickness as an opportunity to learn and then to share in his writings those lessons and insights he gained from suffering through that experience. They say “experience is the best teacher”. Maybe they got this adage from the example of David.
Now, before we begin, I want to mention that some commentators view these four psalms as expressing the feelings of the entire nation of Israel during its long, dark exile from the land of Israel, an exile that lasted almost 2000 years.
Allright, as you are turning to psalm 38, let’s notice that the first 10 verses or thereabouts are devoted to the effect David’s sin had on his physical body. Here are the various symptoms and results:
Vs. 2 - - an overall heaviness, as if the hand of the Almighty is pressing down upon him
Vs. 3 - - an overall, general feeling of illness; “no peace (wholeness) in my bones”, one translation says
Vs. 4 - - the feeling that one is drowning, as though water is closing above one’s head; one translation uses the word “inundated”, that is “gone over my head”. The sages tell of King Manasseh, one of the most evil kings of Judah, although he repented late in his life. After he did, he was so ashamed of his past that he wore a heavy, copper helmet, which forced his face downward, because he was too ashamed to even raise his face to the sky. In a similar vein, David is saying here that his shame is so crushing, he can’t even lift his head to save himself from drowning.
Vs. 5 - - stinking, pus-filled, festering wounds on his body. Reminiscent of Job’ malady, although it was not Job’s sins that brought his physical illnesses upon him
Vs. 6 - - unable to stand erect and upright, due to the spiritual weight of his sins
Vs. 7 - - fever in his “flanks”, which is best translation of the actual Hebrew word. The flanks are near the kidneys, which are a delicate area of the lower spine, often susceptible to illness. Some translations are more oblique and say “my insides” or one says “my self-awareness”. It sounds as though he may have suffered from a terrible kidney infection.
Vs. 8 - - numbness, as a result of deep anguish, crushed exceedingly
Vs. 9 - - deep sighing
Vs. 10 - - weakness due to a heart that is not performing as it should; dimness of the eyes. It is no accident these two are mentioned together, as it is through the eyes and the heart that seek out sin the most often. Numbers 15:39 reinforces this. It says “And you shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes.”
Then, in verse 11, much like happened to Job, David laments that his friends and companions have shunned him because of his sicknesses, and that even his closest circle is keeping their distance. Ibn Ezra theorized that this might have happened because they found his stinking, festering sores offensive. Well, possibly, but most people are not very tolerant of another person’s misery. I remember my husband telling me he would not go visit his dying father in the hospital after a certain point, because he did not want to see and remember him like that. It takes a supernatural chesed to extend sympathy and compassion in visiting the non-contagious sick, in order to give comfort and encouragement. Nothing strengthens the soul of a sick or bereaved person more than a visit, phone call or even a text. Don’t let your ailing loved ones feel like they have been forgotten and/or cast aside.
On the other hand, vs. 12, David’s enemies had not been standoffish. They had not been idle. Rather, they had been up to their old lies and tricks.
In verses 13 and 14, David does not open his mouth to defend himself or even let his ears register the words of his friends. The reason?
In verse 15 he affirms that he is focused solely on Adonai, his God. David verbalizes his hope in Adonai, who he is confident will answer and intervene. He knows he is about to fall, vs. 16, and he asks Adonai to not let people gloat over him when it finally happens.
In verse 18, he acknowledges his guilt and his anxiety over it.
The psalm ends, then, in verse 22 with David affirming that Adonai is his only salvation, and he entreats him to quickly help him.
Psalm 39
The superscription of this psalm has more than one interpretation. It is dedicated to something or someone named Yedusun/Yedutun, depending on the Ashkenazi or Sephardic pronunciation. Here are what some of the sages say:
Radak thinks this referred to the lead singer/chanter at the Temple. We know from the scriptures that David divided the Levites up into 24 priestly courses to serve at the Temple, on a rotating basis. Of these 24, there were Levitical singers in each group/watch. Of these 24 sets of singers, 6 of them were headed by the six sons of Yedutun, who were under the authority of their father. Talk about a musical family!
1 Chronicles 25:3 says that Yedusun prophesied with a Kinnor to give thanks and to praise Hashem. Seems pretty straightforward, right? But, I mentioned that some commentators think that this name is referring to a musical instrument, because there was also a musical instrument called the Yedutun, named probably after this prominent singer. He was like the George Beverly Shea of the Levites, I guess. Must have had quite the talent!
Let’s read this short-ish psalm together, and then we will look a little deeper.
I’m reading from the CJB translation.
39
For the leader. Set in the style of Y’dutun. A psalm of David:
(1) I said, “I will watch how I behave, so that I won’t sin with my tongue; I will put a muzzle on my mouth whenever the wicked confront me.”
(2) I was silent, said nothing, not even good; but my pain kept being stirred up.
(3) My heart grew hot within me; whenever I thought of it, the fire burned. Then, [at last,] I let my tongue speak:
(4) “Make me grasp, Adonai, what my end must be, what it means that my days are numbered; let me know what a transient creature I am.
(5) You have made my days like handbreadths; for you, the length of my life is like nothing.”
Yes, everyone, no matter how firmly he stands, is merely a puff of wind. (Selah)
(6) Humans go about like shadows; their turmoil is all for nothing. They accumulate wealth, not knowing who will enjoy its benefits.
(7) Now, Adonai, what am I waiting for? You are my only hope.
(8) Rescue me from all my transgressions; don’t make me the butt of fools.
(9) I am silent, I keep my mouth shut, because it is you who have done it.
(10) Stop raining blows on me; the pounding of your fist is wearing me down.
(11) With rebukes you discipline people for their guilt; like a moth, you destroy what makes them attractive; yes, everyone is merely a puff of wind. (Selah)
(12) Hear my prayer, Adonai, listen to my cry, don’t be deaf to my weeping; for with you, I am just a traveler passing through, like all my ancestors.
(13) Turn your gaze from me, so I can smile again before I depart and cease to exist.
Vs. 1 - - we mentioned in psalm 38:14 that David did not respond verbally to his accusers. Here, David begins this psalm by reiterating the importance of not sinning with one’s tongue. Again, the leader of the Jerusalem ecclesia, James the Justin, lamented in his book, chapter 3, vs. 5-12, about the tongue. Among other things, in verse 6 - - KJV, he said this:
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”
Perhaps he was thinking of Psalm 39:1 when he wrote that. Otherwise, Psalm 39 is not explicitly mentioned or quoted in the New Testament.
The Midrash Shocher Tov tells this parable about the importance of guarding the tongue. And, I’m paraphrasing here:
At one time, the king of Persia was close to death. The doctor had told him that the only way that he would recover is, if he would drink the milk from a lioness one of his doctors volunteered to go about the task of getting that milk. The doctor took 10 goats with him and together they entered the den of a nursing lioness. On the first day, the doctor stood far away, and he threw one of the goats to her the next day, he got closer and heaved another goat, so this continued until he got close enough to play with her and trusting him, she let him take some of her milk. He thought he had to completed his mission on the way back to the palace. He fell asleep and he dreamed that his internal organs were having a conversation about this mission, trying to determine which of his organs had played the most important role in his success. During this discussion, the tongue declared That his role was the most important. Upon hearing this the other organs were incensed. What gall! Surely the tongue could not be serious!
But, the tongue said he’d prove his point. As the doctor presented himself before the king, he said, “Here, sire, is the milk of a dog.” The king was so angry he ordered the man hung on a gallows. The other organs wept and wailed their fate, until the tongue addressed them and said, “If I save us all, will you admit I was right?” The other organs speedily agreed. The tongue began to scream, “Take me before the king!” The guards honored his request, and the tongue talked his way out of the death sentence by pointing out the Hebrew word for female dog and for lioness are the same. The tongue persuaded the king to try the milk, which he did, and was healed. Therefore, the other body parts proclaimed the tongue their sovereign.
Well, it’s a goofy story, to be sure.
Verse two speaks of (pardon the pun) silence, not only when there is nothing good to be said, but in this case even from good words. We are also told that this is not a successful strategy. Refraining from saying lashon hara, words that derive from the evil inclination, is righteous. But, to refrain from speaking good is not beneficial. As a result, the pain of the psalmist intensified. I saw a meme yesterday which said this:
Silence doesn’t always mean you have nothing to say. It may mean you realize that no matter what you say, it won’t change anything. That may be so, but we should always speak good things, when we can.
By verse 3, the psalmist could hold back no longer and the words burst out of him in an urgent expression of fiery frustration. Basically, he was asking God in verse 4 how long was his misery going to last. He figured it was going to last until he died, but he wanted to know how much longer he had to live, how much longer he had to endure his torment. When Israel was in exile, the key question the people asked was, “how much longer, Lord?” Sort of like a child asks a parent in the car, “Are we there yet?” Again, the Midrash Shocher Tov compares this to the son whose father told him he’d receive 10 lashes for misbehavior. Each lash brought more relief than the last, because the son knew that with each one he moved closer to the conclusion of the punishment.
Job asked something similar in 6:11.
“Have I enough strength to go on waiting?
What end can I expect, that I should be patient?
In other words, if I am going to live a normal lifetime, then I can endure, because I have hope I will recover. But, if there is no hope of my recovery, may my end be swift.
You may have heard the expression, “your days are numbered”. Or, “his days are numbered”, meaning the person does not have long to remain in his position, or long to live, etc. The sages point out that David did not ask to know the number of his years, but instead referred to his days. Most people think a day, in and of itself, is of little consequence. But, the righteous cherish each day, thanking God for it when they awaken. They view every day as a precious opportunity, as did David.
Verses 5 and 6 sound a little like The Preacher (Solomon) in the book of Ecclesiastes, where he referred to the relative brevity of a person’s life, a blade of grass that withers in the sun. Here, and also again in verse 11, David likens our lives to a puff of wind. As David laments that humans toil and toil to build wealth, not knowing if they will live to enjoy it, you can almost hear The Preachers intoning, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” (Eccles. 1:2). The word, “Selah”, appears at the end of verse 6, asking the reader to stop and ponder the weight of those words.
The Babylonian Talmud (Bava Basra 11a) tells the story of a Babylonian king of the latter half of the first century CE, named Monabaz II. He converted to Judaism. Instead of laying up for himself treasures on earth, he instead gave his treasures to charity, a great deal of wealth. Before long, his male relatives came to him with accusations that he was squandering the wealth of not only the family but of the empire. This was his response: 'My fathers stored up below and I am storing up above... My fathers stored in a place which can be tampered with, but I have stored in a place which cannot be tampered with … My fathers gathered treasures of money and I have gathered treasures of souls...' "King Monobaz also donated handsome gifts to the Temple in Jerusalem.
I wonder if Yeshua was thinking of this near-future king when He spoke these words in Matthew 6:19-21, heartening back to this theme, present in Psalm 37.
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Verse 7 makes me think of the first Star Wars movie. Here David declares that his only hope of restoration is Hashem. In the first SW movie, which had a heavily Jewish influence, Princess Leia was speaking to a hologram of Obi Wan Kenobi and pleaded, “Help us, Obi Wan Kenobi, you are our only hope!” No, the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, is not Jewish, but there are several Jewish themes that run throughout his work. Speaking of Obi Wan, that character is said to have been based on Rabbi Raphael Encaoua, a prominent figure in the Jewish community of Salé, in the Moroccan desert.
Ok, enough of that rabbit trail. Our only hope of restoration IS in Hashem, end of story.
Verse 8 - - have you ever felt like you were the “butt of fools”? Or, as one translation puts it, “a disgrace before the degenerate”? It’s bad enough to be embarrassed or to be the object of ridicule, in front of friends and/or those who love you, around those in your “safe space”. But, it is much worse when hateful, evil people - - your enemies - - witness your disgrace, isn’t it?
Even so, in verse 9, David did not “bark back”. He still did not open his mouth to refute the scandalous ridicule of his enemies. Radak offers this comment: “There was no one at whom to scream or to blame for my suffering, for I recognized that all my afflictions came from YOU as a result of my sins.”
Verse 10 is a plea to Hashem to “stop the beating”. He is pleading that he has learned his lesson and so there is no need to prolong his agony. If you have ever placed your child in “time out”, they will almost invariably ask you at some point, “Is my time up?” I don’t know about the repentance, the lesson learned, component. I doubt it is actually present in their request. But, for sure, the Lord often leaves us in His “spiritual time-out” longer than we wish to be there. In the last verse, David expresses that he just would rather Hashem turn his gaze onto someone else. Uh, Lord, just look away, please. How about that guy over there?! Can I just please some peace and rest before I die??!!
I find the wording of verse 12 interesting in the CJB. David refers to himself as “just a traveler, passing through”. The wording reminds me of that old gospel song, “This World is Not My Home”. Those of us who belong to Yeshua, those of us who are truly “the righteous”, made so by His blood, are indeed strangers and aliens here. This present world is merely our “school house”, preparing us for an eternity with the Holy One of Israel, the Prince of Peace. By the way, in Hebrew the title, Prince of Peace is Sar Shalom, and when you think that the greater meaning of shalom is wholeness, then the title becomes Prince of Wholeness. Puts it in a whole ‘nuther light, doesn’t it? But, there I go, digressing again.
Back to strangers and aliens and travelers passing through, Hebrews 11:13-16 seems relevant. Perhaps the writer of this great book was thinking of David’s observation/confession in Psalm 39:13 when he wrote these words:
Hebrews 11
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance,admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.
15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
I had a very weird week this past week, just since I was last with you. I was involved in three deaths or funerals. Yes, the first one was the hardest and occurred last Wednesday afternoon. I’m so grateful the news did not come through when I was on the air with you. A dear friend of several years, who was in our couples bible study that meets every week. This is the one my husband leads. Then, another couple in that same bible study - - - they lost a father figure. So, our group was involved in supporting and providing hospitality over a period of 3 days, to two families. Then, an acquaintance, very dear to my sister’s family passed. It was just hard, and exhausting. However, all of them were part of the Bride of Yeshua. All of them claimed to know and belong to Him. That, of course, brings me great comfort.
They were just strangers and aliens, passing through. They have now left this earthly training ground, for their heavenly home. Hallelujah!
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