{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! Good morning, and welcome back to Mishkan Katan. Last week, we focused most of our attention on Psalm 82, going with a literal interpretation of the Psalm. In so doing, I made the comment that most Christians consider the psalm as allegorical or just mere poetry, and so just dismiss it because the supernatural implications are “too much to take”. I did not comment on how the Jewish sages have interpreted this psalm. But, their take on it was to liken it to the reign of good King Jehoshaphat, specifically his accomplishments related in 2 Chronicles 19. One of the things that king did was to appoint judges, to renovate the judicial system. Since the crux of Psalm 82 deals with a court of judges, the Jewish sages believe it pointed forward prophetically to the reign of Jehoshaphat. Obviously, I believe this is quite a stretch.
Psalm 83, which we are going to begin with today, is not directly quoted in the New Testament. The Jewish sages say is correlated to the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign recorded in 2 Chronicles 20. I’ll let you form your own opinion about that matter as we go along. Let’s begin by looking at that chapter. We won’t read it together. Instead, we’ll just look through it to see what is happening. As you are turning there, Psalm 83 is the last psalm in this 11-psalm set that is said to have been written by Asaf. That’s an important detail.
Are you at 2 Chronicles 20? Before we start summarizing the story, look at verse 14.
14 And the Spirit of the Lord came[d] upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
See a familiar name there? At first, looking at this, I thought, “Well, Asaph, the liturgical singer/composer Levite was an ancestor of this prophet mentioned here in 2 Chronicles 20:14. And, some of the commentators do say that. In fact, some translations state that to be the case. But, the sons of Asaph was a category of Levites, sort of like the Levitical choir. So, this prophet, Jahaziel, was descended from one of the Levitical choir members, not necessarily from THE Asaph of the Psalms, although he could have been.
Ok, so what is happening in this story? King Jehoshaphat is sitting as regent of the southern of the two divided kingdoms, the kingdom of Judah, minding his own business, when he gets a message that four kingdoms are amassing their forces and moving against him. The four are Seir (aka Edom, the land of Esau). The Amorites, The Ammonites and the Moabites. The latter three form a totem pole, standing on top of Edom and extending up the eastern side of the Jordan River and Dead Sea. The four together made a large territory and a formidable army. But, in addition to that, sages say that these nations hired mercenaries from outer nearby peoples as well, because their intent was to thoroughly eradicate the Jews from the face of the earth. It was a dire situation for Judah! Not only that, these heathen wanted to erase from the face of the earth the name of God, Hashem. These nations had formerly been sworn enemies, the sages say, but if you look at verse 5 of the psalm, it says literally in the Hebrew that their hearts were all together, united in their hatred of Hashem and his protected people. Murderously hostile against each other for generations, they became mutual allies.
Verses 6 and 7 tell us who else joined in this ill-fated campaign of war. The Edomites, Ishmaelites, and Hagarites, Philistia, Tzur and Assyria. The Edomites were descended from Jacob’s oldest son, Esau, the Ishmaelites from Abraham’s son, Ishmael and the Hagarites from Hagar’s offspring with Abraham, possibly. Some scholars say that if the Keturah (Abraham’s second wife) is the same woman as Hagar, in that after Sarah died, he went and found and re-claimed Hagar, then these hostile gentiles are descended from her additional children with Abraham. Like Ishmael, they were not accorded the blessing Hashem placed upon the Jews. It is entirely possible, though, that Keturah was a different woman from Hagar, and that this reference in verse 6 is to the children Hagar bore to another man.
Philistia is the land of the Philistines, situated on the coastlands between Egypt and Canaan, and that the Philistines had the worst characteristics of each area. The sage Shem M’Shmuel says that the Egyptians were lewd and lecherous and the Canaanites were idolatrous, so that the Philistines were thoroughly infested with both sins.
This was in part because the area of Philistia due to its location was a thoroughfare through which both heathen cultures passed.
Jehoshaphat knew his “ox was in the ditch”, so to speak, and that without Hashem’s intervention, Judah had no hope of conquering this massive horde of heathen soldiers.
Upon hearing this news, because he was a righteous king, one of the few in the era of Israel’s and Judah’s kings, he called for a national fast and repentance. And he and the people began to pray and to praise Hashem.
In response, this little-known prophet, Jehaziel, delivered the following message from Hashem. 1. Don’t be afraid of them. 2. Go out to meet them, against them. 3. Watch me deliver them into your hands.
So, Jehoshaphat obeyed the Lord. He was a man of music, this king, and the sages say he loved to use his musical gifts in praise of Hashem. Using music as a weapon, Jehoshaphat put a large group of singers and musicians in front of the army and off they all went, singing and making music to Hashem in a very loud voice. I love that. I’m a musician; so, this approach really resonates (please pardon the pun!) with me.
Verse 22 says that when they began to sing and praise, Hashem acted! He set an ambush for the heathen armies, causing them to destroy one another.
When the army of Judah got to the location the Lord told them to go, what some translations call “the watchtower of the wilderness”, they looked out across the plain toward where they expected the advancing armies to be and what did they see? They saw a bunch of dead soldiers, that’s what. Not one living soldier remaining.
The army of Judah then went down and collected the spoils of war from off the corpses. It took them 3 days to get as much loot as they could carry. Then, they gathered in a nearby valley to praise Adonai with all their might. And, after their prayer and praise meeting, they returned home to their land the way they had left - - making music and praising God.
I was listening to a vid a friend had sent me. It mentioned certain denominations of Christ-followers who forbid the use of musical instruments in their church services. How on earth is this considered the way of the Bible? The psalms are full of references to the use of musical instruments in the making of praise to Hashem! And, here, as well, music was made on instruments as voices were lifted in song. Beautiful!
Allright, now that you are familiar with this story, let’s look at Psalm 83. Don’t you think it is fitting that the last psalm attributed to Asaph we see recorded in Scripture is associated with a Bible story in which music was prominent?
(1) God, don’t remain silent!
Don’t stay quiet, God, or still;
3 (2) because here are your enemies, causing an uproar;
those who hate you are raising their heads,
4 (3) craftily conspiring against your people,
consulting together against those you treasure.
5 (4) They say, “Come, let’s wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Isra’el be remembered no more!”
6 (5) With one mind they plot their schemes;
the covenant they have made is against you —
7 (6) the tents of Edom and the Yishma‘elim,
Mo’av and the Hagrim,
8 (7) G’val, ‘Amon and ‘Amalek,
P’leshet with those living in Tzor; (Selah)
9 (8) Ashur too is allied with them,
to reinforce the descendants of Lot.
10 (9) Do to them as you did to Midyan,
to Sisra and Yavin at Vadi Kishon —
11 (10) they were destroyed at ‘Ein-Dor
and became manure for the ground.
12 (11) Make their leaders like ‘Orev and Ze’ev,
all their princes like Zevach and Tzalmuna,
13 (12) who said, “Let’s take possession
of God’s meadows for ourselves.”
14 (13) My God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff driven by the wind.
15 (14) Like fire burning up the forest,
like a flame that sets the mountains ablaze,
16 (15) drive them away with your storm,
terrify them with your tempest.
17 (16) Fill their faces with shame,
so that they will seek your name, Adonai.
18 (17) Let them be ashamed and fearful forever;
yes, let them perish in disgrace.
19 (18) Let them know that you alone,
whose name is Adonai,
are the Most High over all the earth.
Verse 8 mentions Lots sons, and some of you may not remember, so I’ll mention it here. The two sons of Lot, gotten off of his relations with his daughters, were named Moab and Ammon. They were the founders of the Moabite and Ammonite nations.
Verse 9 makes a reference to the defeat of Midian. This took place by the hand of Hashem through Gideon and his very small force of mighty men. By comparison, Jehoshaphat’s armies of Judah were very small against the huge armies of the arrayed heathen countries. Yet, in both stories, Hashem defeated both of the gentile armies by getting them to turn on each other and destroy each other.
Sisera and Jabin (Yavin), mentioned in verse 9, were characters in a battle recorded in Judges 4. At that time, the prophetess judge Deborah and the general, Barack, destroyed the invading army led by Sisera at the river called Nathan Kishon, with the result being that the entire enemy army was swallowed up by the river.
So, what is happening here in this psalm is that the psalmist is recalling previous supernatural military interventions by Hashem on behalf of his chosen people, and asking Hashem to do similarly to the hosts coming against Jehoshaphat (if you think the connection the rabbis drew is legitimate). Regardless, it is a similar story, and the content of the psalm fits.
Let’s move on to Psalm 84.
This psalm is the first in a second group of psalms (84-88) attributed to the sons of Korach, who also composed Psalms 42-49.
Psalm 84 expresses a deep longing for the righteous person to return to the Promised Land. Radak says that the psalm was written because it was inspired by incidents in King David’s life where he was hiding in the country of Philistia, hiding from King Saul, who was trying to kill him.
The sages of the long, long nearly 2000-year exile of the Jews from their homeland, Israel, emphasize that the follower of Hashem can only have true peace when he is living in Israel, Hashem’s spiritual center on the earth.
If you look at the superscription, the specified musical instrument is the Gittith, which I have taught you in previous teachings was thought to be an instrument of Philistine origins. How appropriate, then, if this psalm was inspired by David’s unwanted sojourn in Philistia, that this song of longing would be played on such an instrument.
This beautiful, relatively short, psalm (12 verses) is often quoted, but is not directly quoted in the New Testament.
Verses 1-4 - -
(1) How deeply loved are your dwelling-places,
Adonai-Tzva’ot!
(2) My soul yearns, yes, faints with longing
for the courtyards of Adonai;
my heart and body cry for joy
to the living God.
(3) As the sparrow finds herself a home
and the swallow her nest, where she lays her young,
[so my resting-place is] by your altars,
Adonai-Tzva’ot, my king and my God.
(4) How happy are those who live in your house;
they never cease to praise you! (Selah)
What does verse 1 mean? It obviously contains heavy emotion…deeply loved. In other translations we read “lovely” or “beloved”. Then, there is the characteristic or role of Hashem chosen in this verse, “Adonai-Tzva’ot” - - God of Angel Armies, Lord of Hosts. This name connotes almighty power, God’s omnipotence and His supremacy over all other beings, both human and divine. And, where are His “dwelling places”?
1 Timothy 6:16 says that He “dwells in unapproachable light”. Here’s the full verse, from the NASB translation:
“who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”
As I mentioned last week, the half-brother of Yeshua, James (his real name was Yochanon) the Just called Hashem the “father of lights”.
So, one of Father Yahweh’s dwelling places is in Heaven, in splendor so great that humans cannot exist in His full presence. Remember how Moshe wanted to see His face, and he was told that he could not see His face and live? Even the 70 elders who partially ascended Sinai to feast and dine in His presence were shielded by the sapphire canopy of the firmament as they ate a covenant meal with Him there.
The heights of Heaven can’t be to what the psalmist refers, because few humans have even gotten a glimpse of those. The first dwelling place Hashem chose on earth was Eden, although that did not last long. The rabbis believe that the Fall occurred on the first day that man and woman lived together. The next place Hashem chose for His place to interface with mankind on an ongoing basis was the Mishkan, in the Tabernacle, that portable tent, which traveled with the Israelites as they went from Sinai through the wilderness and on into the Promised Land. Hashem descended to earth and filled it with His glory. He gave Moses specific measurements and other information as to how to build it, as it was a copy of the one which is in Heaven. It was, similar to Sinai, the place Hashem designated as His place to meet with His people and establish them as His nation. But, Hashem did not “dwell” at Sinai, per se.
Then, Solomon built for Hashem the first Temple, a more permanent “dwelling place”. The Mishkan of the Tabernacle then found its Temple counterpart in the Holy of Holies of the Temple.
But, with Yeshua’s first advent and the completion of His earthly mission, the Spirit of Hashem came to Earth on the very next Shavuot, to dwell within the heart and soul of every follower of Yeshua HaMashiach, who made it plain in John 14:6 that “no person comes to the Father, except by Me.” The apostle Paul echoed this when He said, “19 Or don’t you know that your body is a temple for the Ruach HaKodesh who lives inside you, whom you received from God? The fact is, you don’t belong to yourselves;”. So, today, the dwelling place of Hashem’s essence, His spirit, is within the souls of His bride, those who belong to Him through faith in His one, unique Son, Yeshua. The Lord of Hosts desires to dwell with us IN us. How lovely is that!
But, when this psalm was written, the psalmist was in the Tabernacle/Temple era. He did not know the joy of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Spirit of the Living God, dwelling inside of him. So, he is glorifying the wonder of the Temple here. We have to remember that. When he talks about in verse 2 how he longs for the courts of the living God, he’s talking about the Temple courts, which truly were magnificent. And, as the author was inspired by David’s exile, he’s referring to the land of Israel as a whole, which the rabbis teach has a higher level of holiness than any other country on Earth. Do you believe that? I do. I really do, and that is because I have been there…three times. It is a very special place. The fervor of verse 2! I don’t know about you, but I am guilty of being distracted by many lesser things, and I need to ask the Lord to give me that type of desire for His presence in my life. Most of us are tempted by many distractions in this worldly life that surrounds us. I am much too wrapped up in my own pursuits. The verbs used here, words like “yearns”, “pines” “faints with longing” - - the last phrase is the most accurate. The rabbis say that the verb “cah-leh-TAH” describes someone whose desire is so strong that he is about to pass out from it.
In verse 3, the tzaddik, the righteous ones, are compared to sparrows, who do what they were created to do, which is to build their nests and hatch their young, to fill the earth and thereby glorify their Creator. When we draw near to Hashem, then we are able to find our created purpose, the outworking of “to know God and to enjoy Him forever”. When we discover the purposes for which we were created, we find joy. And, we can only discover that when we draw near to Him.
Verse 4, in real time, referred to the Levites, that tribe of men dedicated to both the Temple management and service, whether performing Levitical tasks that kept the Temple running, or as Levitical musicians in charge of the praise music or as anointed priests in the service of Hashem. In our day, there is no Temple. But, we are blessed and praiseworthy when we focus our being on the will of our great God for us each day.
(5) How happy the man whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are [pilgrim] highways.
(6) Passing through the [dry] Baka Valley,
they make it a place of springs,
and the early rain clothes it with blessings.
(7) They go from strength to strength
and appear before God in Tziyon.
What a beautiful verse is verse 5! The rabbis say that Torah study, study of the Word of God, is not only praiseworthy, but it is from such study that the believer draws his or her strength. They say that studying God’s Word gives the person the power of a king. As Solomon said in Proverbs 8:15, speaking of the Torah - - “Through me, kings rule.”
But, I would go beyond that and add that our strength as followers of Yeshua, worshippers of the Divine, Mysterious Majesty that is our God, our strength comes from His Spirit living within us. When we allow Him to fill us, we can then carry out His will for our lives.
Followers of Yeshua who live this way, look how we are described in verses 6 and 7. (Or, at least, we should be living this way.) They pass through dry places, and their very presence brings healthful, healing waters. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they make difficult situations and places to become places of beauty and holiness. They are like the early rain, which is the seasonal rains that begin in Israel in late September/early October, and which refresh the earth so that crops can begin to be planted and to grow.
(8) Adonai, God of armies, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Ya‘akov. (Selah)
Hashem’s name used here is a very strong one: Yahweh Elohim T’savaot. This reflects the earnestness and seriousness of this plea for the psalmist’s prayer to be heard. The name, God of Ya’akov, or in Hebrew Elohay Ya’akov, is used to refer back to Hashem’s promise to Jacob, recorded in Genesis 28:15. That verse says, “Behold, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go; and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not abandon you until I fulfill all that I promised you.”
(9) God, see our shield [the king];
look at the face of your anointed.
Many scholars interpret the analogous word “shield” to refer to the monarch of the land, as he is responsible for the safety and security of his people. But, that in brackets in the CJB is not in the original text. Another equally valid opinion is that the word “shield” refers to Mashiach, the Anointed One, mentioned in the second half of the verse. This is the interpretation to which I hold. I think the whole verse is an appeal to Hashem to send Mashiach to make all things right.
(10) Better a day in your courtyards
than a thousand [days elsewhere].
Better just standing at the door of my God’s house
than living in the tents of the wicked.
Verse 10 is a very famous verse. It has in fact been used to compose a well-known Christian worship song, with the main idea of the song being “it’s great to be in God’s house this Sunday.” And, it is wonderful to worship and learn and fellowship with our fellow believers, especially in a country that allows for freedom of assembly and freedom of worship. However, again, the deeper meaning is that walking in God’s presence, giving His Spirit liberty to rule in our lives, is the ultimate path of life.
(11) For Adonai, God, is a sun and a shield;
Adonai bestows favor and honor;
he will not withhold anything good
from those whose lives are pure.
(12) Adonai-Tzva’ot,
how happy is anyone who trusts in you!
At times, it may not seem that, for those who trust in the Lord of Hosts, and who walk out our salvation according to His ways, that all of life is “good”. There are surely times of sorrow and pain and even agony at times. But, we must trust in His everlasting goodness, His kindness to us, revealed in His perfect timing.
We will finish up our time together this morning by taking a brief look at Psalm 85. This is another of the psalms of the Sons of Korach, and the psalm is said by the sages to prophetically describe the nation of Judah’s return from Babylonian captivity, from exile, to re-build Solomon’s Temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonian invasion some 70 years earlier. The rebuilt temple became known as the Second Temple, and it stood for nearly 600 years before it was destroyed by the Romans, specifically by Titus, in 70 CE.
At this point, it may have occurred to you - - - when were the psalms actually written?
Most of them were written by King David, which means they were written between 1010 and 930 BCE, or thereabouts. However, the earliest psalm is attributed to Moshe, and that is Psalm 90, which would mean it would have been written during the wilderness wanderings, around 1400 BCE. Psalms 126 and 137 were the latest psalms composed, and those were written after the Babylonian exile was over, around 500 to 430 BCE.
I guess I should have been explicit about the timeline of the psalms before we started the study, but oh well. “Better late than never,” as the expression goes.
You’ll notice two themes in this psalm. One is the theme of abundant rain upon the earth, and its necessary role in the growing of crops. This was seen as a sign of Hashem’s favor, because otherwise the nation would not have been able to produce crops to eat. In Israel, most of the rain falls between Sukkot and Pesach. The rains that fall in the Fall, beginning at or right after Sukkot, are called the early rains. Those rains that fall in the latter half of that period, the late winter and early spring are called the latter rains. The second theme seen in this psalm is the ingathering of exiles back to their native, God-given land. This is seen as a type of revival of God’s people, similar to how the rains revive the earth. When the exiles return, they are joyful, are renewed and produce good fruit for the glory of Hashem. Truth, in that way, metaphorically springs from the earth, as God’s people fulfill their mission on earth.
Let’s look at the first verses of Psalm 85 now, from the CJB.
For the leader. A psalm of the sons of Korach:
(1) Adonai, you have shown favor to your land;
you have restored the fortunes of Ya‘akov,
(2) taken away the guilt of your people,
pardoned all their sin, (Selah)
(3) withdrawn all your wrath,
turned from your fierce anger.
(4) Restore us, God of our salvation,
renounce your displeasure with us.
(5) Are you to stay angry with us forever?
Will your fury last through all generations?
(6) Won’t you revive us again,
so your people can rejoice in you?
(7) Show us your grace, Adonai;
grant us your salvation.
I want you to think back to a time when you believed Hashem was angry with you. Have you ever felt such from the Almighty? I vividly remember when I came under conviction from my sins as a nine-year old. I fell into the arms of Redemption, of my Savior, at that young age, because I did not want to endure Hashem’s wrath one more moment. Over the years, I have many, many times disappointed Him. But, because Yeshua took Hashem’s wrath, meant for me, upon Himself, I know that I can confess my sins, whole-heartedly repent and be restored to fellowship with Him. I hasten to add….it deeply offends and even angers God when we sin, especially when we do so intentionally, with an attitude of not caring. We should never, ever be cavalier about our sins.
Verse 4 says “restore” us, in the CJB translation, but the actual Hebrew word is YishAYEnoo, “he will return us”, or he will cause us to turn . . . That is, to turn from our sins and return to Him. That is the essence of repentance and personal revival.
Verse 6 - - “Revive us again!” Hallelujah! All of us who worship Hashem and follow Yeshua’s example can use more revival. When many believers pray for revival in their communities, they focus their thoughts and prayers on the lost, those who do not know God through Yeshua, who is THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life. But, honestly, revival must start with the people of God. When the world sees the Body of Messiah on fire with love for Hashem and Yeshua, when the world sees those believers filled with the Ruach HaKodesh, they are drawn to the light of the gospel. So, it must start with us. Pray that revival in our nation will start with you and with me.
Verse 7 is one of those verses that, yes, was fully fulfilled in Yeshua. However, as we walk out our salvation with reverence and trembling on a day-by-day basis, God’s grace is always available to us, for the asking, when we turn/return to Him. He is gracious and full of lovingkindness, to restore us, to put us again on the path of joy.
You know, the initial, beginning point of eternal salvation is not about making good people better or even about making bad people less bad. No, it is about making spiritually dead people alive. Before we encountered Yeshua and chose Him, we were DEAD in our sins. Paul makes this plain. The sages say this analogy fits those in exile, because being in exile from the Promised Land to the dispersed Jews was like a form of death. Ezekiel 37:12 bears testimony to this scriptural fact. It says, “Behold (hinei), “I am opening up your graves and I will lift you from your graves and I will bring you to the soil of Israel.” We have seen this happen, this returning of the physical exiles to the nation of Israel, over the last 70+ years, ending a 1900-year physical exile of the Jews, who had been dispersed all over the world.
But, in addition and even more importantly, that is what He did for us, in giving us His only, unique Son - - He made the only way to open up our graves and lift us up out of them. He brought the dead to life spiritually. Because of this forever transformation He does in each fully believing heart, He will not only transform us spiritually, He will one day raise from the most tiny, eternal microbe, scattered everywhere, raise up our physical bodies, simultaneously transforming them into eternal bodies, as He did with Yeshua’s. What a mighty God we serve!
Let’s read on, verses 8 and following:
(8) I am listening. What will God, Adonai, say?
For he will speak peace to his people,
to his holy ones —
but only if they don’t relapse into folly.
(9) His salvation is near for those who fear him,
so that glory will be in our land.
(10) Grace and truth have met together;
justice and peace have kissed each other.
(11) Truth springs up from the earth,
and justice looks down from heaven.
(12) Adonai will also grant prosperity;
our land will yield its harvest.
(13) Justice will walk before him
and make his footsteps a path.
Let’s focus our attention on verse 10. Do you remember your first kiss on the lips from a member of the opposite sex? I’ll bet there are some good stories out there. I surely do remember mine, and it’s a good story, but I’ll refrain from sharing it, for the sake of time … among other reasons. At any rate, that kind of kiss is an expression of intimacy. Most people do not kiss each other on their lips unless they are forming some kind of intimate bond, right? Well, in verse 10, these two sets of virtues are so intertwined, they are described as having “kissed each other.”
Grace and truth - - You can’t have grace without an adherence to truth. If you try to separate the two, you get heinous phenomena like “easy believism” or “cheap grace”. “Jesus loves me just like I am, even if I am rebelliously walking in unrepentant lawlessness”. That type of bad theology. Similarly, justice will bring about peace in the land. No justice, and you get civil unrest. There is something about the human condition that loves to see justice evenly applied - - no “two-tiered” justice systems. People want to be judged fairly. Fairly, evenly applied justice is a deterrent to crime, to lawlessness. When that is not found, there is a lack of peace. Isaiah 32:17 - -“ And the accomplishment of righteousness will be peace.”
Amen. Well, next week, we will continue with Psalm 86. We are moving right along here! It was a year ago, this week, that we began this Psalms study. So, I’d say in the next 9 months to a year, we will finish up this great book. I hope our study together is a blessing to you.
Psalm 34:1-6, 8-9
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