A New Believer's Bible Commentary: Psalms - Song of Songs

By Dr. Judy Barrett

A New Believer's Bible Commentary: Psalms - Song of Solomon is designed to make the Bible easy to understand. In the book of psalms one will learn how to pray and praise God. Proverbs contains instructions on how to live a Christian life. Ecclesiastes tells us what is truly important and Song of Songs tells us how to love our spouse. This section of the Bible is about living the Christian life. This commentary breaks it down into simple language and adds a few real life examples so everyone may benefit from the wisdom of God's Word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Nov 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781300408130

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A New Believer's Bible Commentary: Psalms - Song of Songs

A New Believer’s Bible Commentary: Psalms - Song of Songs

By Dr. Judy Barrett

Copyright © 2012 Dr. Judy Barrett (all rights reserved)

ISBN #978-1-300-40813-0

Photography by Matija Barrett

Introduction

This book was written to help those who did not grow up in the church ‘catch-up.’ It is an easy-to-read commentary designed to cover what one should have learned in Sunday School and make the Bible a bit more easily understood. It is not a major theological tome. Instead it is a down-to-earth guide to help simplify some of the harder to understand sections of the Bible.

So, if you came to Christ as an adult, or merely slept through most of your church school classes and/or decided the main purpose of youth group was to meet members of the opposite sex, this book is for you.

Will you agree with everything in it? No. If you haven’t noticed, there are more than a few different denominations and there are sections of the Bible where they disagree. I am a female Pentecostal. Luckily the sections that talk about women in ministry and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are relatively short. Ask your pastor for information on why your denomination believes what they believe. Reading differing views causes you to more fully examine your beliefs. Not a bad thing. And, you have just talked theology with your pastor. Getting used to asking a real, live human being who has studied their Bible questions will also help you grow in Christ. Also not a bad thing. So, whether you use this as a learning tool, or a tool to examine your Bible and prove why I am wrong, you now understand why you believe what you do better, and that is an accomplishment. Truthfully though, I hope you don’t disagree too vehemently… I have feelings too!

That being said, I hope you enjoy what I have written. I worked hard on it, and gained a bit of weight doing it, since typing on the treadmill was a bit too much for me to handle. (Ecclesiastes 12:12b- 'much study is wearisome to the flesh,' bet you didn’t know that was in there!)

Read well, and pass it on and make my sacrifice worth something, okay?

Blessings,

Dr. Judy Barrett

Psalms

The book of psalms is actually five songbooks that were used in Israel. This is why some of the psalms are very similar; they may be just different versions of the same song, in different books. Although many psalms were written by David, there are contributions from many other people as well. There are also different styles of psalms. For example, one style of psalm has each verse beginning with each consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Another interesting thing to think about is that, while God preserved the words, He did not choose to preserve the music that goes along with it. I believe that God knew that musical styles, and tastes would change with time, and culture, and He has allowed us to put the music we prefer to the words. It is therefore the message that matters, not the beat.

Point to Ponder: The goal of music is to help people with their relationship with the Lord. While many of the songs are ‘praise,’ some of them explain the human condition in relationship to God. Psalms also tells us to play a ‘new song’ to the Lord. So we don’t have to stick with the songbook…

Book 1

FYI: Psalms 1-41 make up the first book of psalms.

Psalm 1

The Blessed versus the Wicked Man

The Blessed:

1.       Does not walk with the wicked and listen to their counsel.

2.       Does not stand with sinners.

3.       Does not join in with mockers.

4.       He delights in following God’s law.

5.       He thinks about God’s law night and day.

6.       He is provided for like a tree planted by water.

7.       He produces much ‘fruit’ at the right time.

8.       He does not wither.

9.       Whatever he does prospers.

The Wicked:

1.       Whatever they do does not prosper.

2.       The results of their work are blown away.

3.       They will not ‘stand’ when judged.

4.       They will not be part of the assembly of the righteous.

5.       They will perish.

Psalm 2

Rebels and the Messiah

This psalm asks why nations conspire and people plot against the Lord. We are told that God and Jesus (His Anointed One) laugh at their plans. God then rebukes them in His anger and tells them that He has installed His King (Jesus) on Zion, His holy hill (Jerusalem).

We are then told that someone is God’s Son and that today God has become His Father. If His Son asks, God will make the nations His inheritance, the earth His possession and He will rule them with an iron rod. For this reason the kings of the earth should serve the Lord with fear. They should honor the Son, lest they be destroyed. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

FYI: Here we see the phrase ‘against the Lord and against His anointed One.’ There are two ‘people’ mentioned here. This is therefore a reference to God the Father and Jesus. We are also told about God’s Son. This Son will rule the earth, and is worthy of honor from kings. This too is Jesus.

Psalm 3

God Delivers Us From Evil People

(A psalm by David when he was fleeing from Absalom, the son who tried to take over as king.)

David’s complaints:

1.       He has many enemies.

2.       They are saying that God will not come to his aid.

What David believes:

1.       God will protect him. (Is a shield around him.)

2.       That God will come to his aid. (Bestow His glory on him and lift up his head. This indicates a return of position as well as emotional happiness.)

3.       When he cries to God, God will answer him.

4.       That true deliverance comes from God.

What ‘proof’ David has to believe this:

1.       When he sleeps, he wakes up again because God sustains him.

Point to Ponder: I have always seen sleep as an exercise of trust. You must trust that you will wake up again to sleep easy, or totally letting go to fall asleep would be difficult. Additionally, I see sleep, as sort of practice for trusting God in death. In death you let go too and enter a state that you do not fully understand or have control over.

What David is going to do because he trusts God:

1.       Not fear the ten thousands ready for war around him.

What he asks from God:

1.       To save him from this situation.

2.       To strike his enemies on the jaw.

3.       To break the wicked’s teeth. (‘Teeth’ means their power to ‘bite’ and hurt people.)

4.       May God’s people be blessed.

Psalm 4

God Redeems the Righteous.

(A psalm by David.)

What David asks God for:

1.       Answer me when I call.

2.       Give me relief from my distress.

3.       Be merciful to me.

4.       Hear my prayer.

What David asks evil men (rhetorically):

1.       How long will you make fun of things that are glorious in my life?

2.       How long will you love delusions? (Things that are phony and not true. Appearances.)

3.       How long will you seek false gods?

What God promises the righteous:

1.       He sets apart the godly for Himself (to do His will. He includes us in His plans.).

2.       He hears them when they call.

What we are to do:

1.       When we are angry, do not sin.

2.       When you go to sleep at night, search your heart and be silent. (Meditate, take time to reflect on what you have done today.)

3.       Offer right sacrifices.

Point to Ponder: How can you offer ‘wrong’ sacrifices? This is covered in most of the minor prophets’ books. Whenever you do it out of ritual, obligation, to make yourself look good, for personal gain or when we give things that are worthless or substandard we are offering ‘wrong’ sacrifices.

4.       Trust in God.

David then tells God that many people are asking if there is any ‘good’ in the world. He asks God to shine the light of His face on believers. David then explains the benefits of being with God.

1.       He has a heart filled with great joy, greater joy than when new wine and grain are plentiful.

2.       He sleeps in peace.

3.       God makes him live in safety.

Point to Ponder: Redeeming someone indicates that you pay the price to get them out of slavery when they are doing so badly that they have nothing. Notice that this psalm is not saying that God redeems everyone. He redeems the righteous. Many times hitting rock bottom is what it takes to repent and become ‘righteous’ though. Redeeming people from earthly hardships while they are still wicked may deprive them of what is necessary for them to repent. It is tough to know when to help and when not to. Just remember: Don’t try to be ‘better’ than God by doing things that even He would not and calling it ‘love.’

Psalm 5

Take Care of Those Who Do Good, and Punish the Wicked.

(A song for flutes by David.)

1.       God does not take pleasure in evil.

2.       The wicked cannot live with God.

3.       The arrogant cannot stand in God’s presence.

4.       God hates all who do wrong.

FYI: Love and hate are action words in the Old Testament, not merely emotions. To love something you bring it close to you and work in its best interests. To hate something you put it far from you and let it face consequences/wrath.

5.       God destroys those who tell lies.

6.       God hates the bloodthirsty and evil. (People who like to hurt others.)

We are now told how to be righteous.

1.       Come into God’s house, but realize that it is only by His mercy that you may do so. (This is the opposite of being arrogant.)

2.       Bow down to God in reverence. (Do not take God lightly, worship Him well.)

3.       Ask God to lead you in righteousness. Why? Because you have enemies and need His help.

4.       Ask God to make your paths straight (easy/no place for sin or harm to hide).

We are then told what the wicked do.

1.       Not a word they speak can be trusted. (This does not mean that they lie all of the time, but just that you do not know if they are lying or not, because they do lie.)

2.       They deceive people.

David then asks for God to ‘declare them guilty.’ (ie punish them)

How?

1.       Let their schemes be their downfall. (Let them backfire on them.)

2.       Banish them. (Keep them away from good people, and God.) Why? Because they have many sins, and because they have rebelled against God.

David then asks God to bless those who do good.

How?

1.       Let them be happy. Why? Because they turn to God for refuge (safety).

2.       Let them always sing for joy.

3.       Protect them. Why? So that those who love God may rejoice in Him.

4.       Bless them.

5.       Surround them with favor.

Point to Ponder: Here we see David asking God to punish the wicked and bless the righteous. We see that the righteous are not the ‘perfect’ but the ones who approach God knowing that He will have mercy on them. Do we do this in life? In some cases I witness people being ‘merciful’ on people who are rebellious while asking the good people who are victims (the oppressed) to ‘put up with it’ and ‘learn to deal with it,’ and calling it the ‘Christian’ thing to do. This is not godly. When a wicked person repents, then he has all the mercy available to him, but he does not get unlimited mercy before this, especially if, by giving him ‘mercy’ you cause others, who are innocent, to suffer. By the way, the people Jesus ‘forgave’ repented. He was harsh with those who would not, like the Pharisees, the scribes, the lawyers, the rich young ruler, the moneychangers at the Temple etc. Jesus, being God, also had the advantage of knowing what was in each person’s heart.

Psalm 6

Mercy and Deliverance

(A song by David, to be sung with stringed instruments.)

Be merciful to me when you are disciplining me God. Heal me because I am in agony. How long will You punish me? Save me because You love me, and Your love never fails. Do not let me die, because I cannot praise you if I am dead. I am worn out and weak from all of the groaning and weeping. Keep away from me, all who do evil, because God has heard my prayers and He will turn your evil deeds back on you so that you leave in shame and disgrace.

Point to Ponder: Many like to believe that no one is truly ‘evil.’ This is not what we see in scripture. While all people may repent, there are people who currently want to hurt others. Here we see David talking about a group of people who like to take advantage of and hurt people when they are down.

Psalm 7

If You Do What is Right, God Will Take Care of Your Enemies

(By David)

David begs God to rescue him (This time from Cush, a Benjaminite.). He tells God that without help those who pursue him will rip him apart. David then tells God that if he has done anything wrong to deserve this then let it happen.

David lists things he could have done which would cause him to deserve to be ‘ripped apart.’ They are:

1.       Doing evil to someone who is at peace with you.

2.       Robbing someone without cause.

David then begs God to deliver justice and to ‘rule.’ He tells us that God:

1.       Searches people’s minds and hearts. (God knows what we are thinking and why we do what we do. Motives matter.)

2.       He brings an end to the violence of those who do wicked things.

3.       He makes the righteous feel secure.

4.       He saves those who are upright in heart.

Point to Ponder: Why does it say ‘upright in heart?’ My opinion: Because we can do ‘good’ things for selfish reasons. God only promises to save those who do good things for the right reasons.

5.       He is a righteous judge.

6.       He expresses His wrath every day. (God does punish sin.)

7.       He does not relent (give up).

David then tells us how wicked people bring problems onto themselves.

1.       People who think about how to do evil live in deception.

2.       They dig a hole and fall into the pit that they have made.

3.       Trouble recoils back onto them.

4.       Violence finds them.

David then promises to praise God and give Him thanks for this.

Real life: We are currently dealing with someone who has told many, many lies. He appears to be trying to do better, but it is hard to know, since he has lied so many times before. One of the things people keep saying is that he has dug himself a deep pit and that it will be hard to get out of it. They also comment on how, if he is actually trying, it is sad because people are reluctant to believe him now. He, of course, is mad because ‘nobody trusts me,’ and ‘everyone thinks I am lying.’ He feels that he is being treated poorly. He is not to the point of seeing that he has caused this to occur and there are very good reasons not to trust him. This is an example of what falling into a pit that you have made looks like. Unfortunately it takes a lot to get out of this pit… Trust is a very fragile thing.

Psalm 8

God Creates and Gives Man Authority, So Praise Him!

(A psalm by David)

God has ordained that even infants and children praise Him. Why? To silence our enemies.

David then asks God why He bothers to pay attention to man. He points out that the moon and the stars are so grand, but it is man, who is a little lower than the angels is crowned by God with glory and honor. It is man that God made to rule over His creation.

Psalm 9

Tell of God’s Wonders

(This is to be sung to the tune of ‘A Death of the Son.’ It is a psalm of David. By the way, we have no idea what that tune is… It does not sound like it is particularly upbeat though.)

Point to Ponder: I believe the reason that God did not preserve the music to the psalms with the words is that God knew that musical preferences would change and/or be different between different cultures and time periods. While the words are sometimes prophetic, and always instructive, the music can be changed to suit whatever people prefer.

David writes that he will praise God with all of his heart and tell of His wonders. He also says that he will be glad and rejoice.

Point to Ponder: We are told repeatedly in scripture to be ‘glad’ and/or ‘rejoice.’ As Christians we are not to be sour-pusses, depressed and complaining all of the time. We are to look at the positive and trust that a God, who loves us, is in charge of everything. Happiness is therefore mandatory most days!

David then tells us that God judges his enemies and they are ruined. (Justice was done.) We are then told that the Lord reigns forever, and that He judges, governs and is a refuge for the people others oppress.

Point to Ponder: We are told that David will have a king on the throne forever. We are then told that God is the king who reigns forever. At what point should we have figured out that God is the descendent of David that will reign on the throne forever? Just saying…

David then tells us to sing praises to God, and to tell everyone (the nations) about Him. He tells us that God avenges us, and does not ignore the cries of the hurting.

David then asks God to help him with his present needs. He has enemies that persecute him, and he asks God for mercy so that he might sing praise because of it and rejoice. He asks God to strike them with terror so that they know that they are just men, and not God.

Psalm 10

God, Please Make Things Right.

This psalm begins by asking God why He seems so far away in times of trouble.

It then tells us what evil people do:

1.       They hunt down the weak.

2.       They are arrogant.

3.       They boast about the things they lust after.

4.       They bless the greedy.

5.       They make fun of God.

6.       They do not seek God.

7.       They do not consider God when they think about life.

8.       They seem to always prosper.

9.       They are haughty. (Think they are better than others.)

10.    They do not obey God’s laws.

11.    They sneer at their enemies.

12.    They think that nothing will ever happen to them.

13.    They think that they should always be happy and never have any trouble.

14.    They curse (wish bad things for) other people.

15.    They lie.

16.    They threaten people.

17.    They speak and cause trouble and evil to occur.

18.    They ambush and murder the innocent.

19.    They plot to hurt people.

20.    They try to catch the helpless.

21.    They think that God does not see what they do.

This psalm asks God to ‘arise’ and help the helpless. It asks God to break the arm (the strength) of the wicked man, and to call him to account for all he has done.

The psalm ends by reminding us that God helps the helpless. He encourages them, listens to them, and defends them so that they do not have to be terrified any more.

Psalm 11

How Can You Say ‘Flee!’ When God Protects?

(a psalm of David)

David states that he takes refuge in the Lord and asks how others can tell him to flee when they see the wicked, when they know that God will take care of him? He reminds us that God is in His Temple, and on His throne in heaven. God sees what men are doing and examines both the wicked and the righteous. God hates the ones who do violence, and they will get what they deserve because God is righteous and loves justice. Those who are wicked are destined for fiery coals and brimstone, with scorching winds. Those that are upright will see God’s face.

Point to Ponder: Although there are times in scripture when God tells us to go, when we know that we are where we are supposed to be, we are to stand firm even though things may look bad. Remember, David was anointed to be the next king, and he spends a considerable amount of time living in caves, hiding from people who wish to kill him. He could have just gone to another country and started a nice little family and forgotten about Israel and God’s promises… Instead, he remains faithful to his calling, despite how bad things look. Even after Saul’s death, it takes years for David to become more than just king of Judah and actually be accepted by all of Israel. Stand on God’s promises. He will be faithful! (Make sure they are actually God’s promises though. Standing on wishful thinking does not get the same results….)

Psalm 12

The Wicked Surround Me

Psalm 12 is for when it seems like wicked people are everywhere. It concludes with the fact that even then God will keep you safe.

The things wicked people do are listed. They include:

1.       Lying to your neighbor.

2.       Flattering people with untruths.

3.       Boasting. (Talking like you are better than others.)

4.       Oppressing the weak. (Bullying; taking advantage of people)

5.       Not helping the needy.

6.       Maligning (Saying bad things about) people.

7.       Honoring what is vile. (Thinking bad things are ‘cool.’)

Psalm 13

It Feels Like God Has Forgotten Me

When it seems like God has forgotten us… trust and praise Him.

The psalmist asks God:

-How long will it seem like You are not there?

-Look on me or I will die and my enemies will overtake me.

He then tells God:

-I trust you God because I know of Your love and salvation.

-I sing praises to God for what He has done in the past.

Psalm 14

Fools

Psalm 14 also focuses on times when it seems like the wicked are everywhere. This psalm specifies a certain type of wicked person, the fool. In studying scripture I have come up with this definition: A fool is a person who knows the truth, and is capable of learning, but chooses to do the wrong things anyways. Someone who does not know is deceived, and someone who cannot learn is disabled, so they are not ‘fools.’ A fools knows better, or could know better if they listened; they have just chosen not to.

In this psalm we see the fool having certain telltale characteristics.

A fool:

1.       Says that there is no God.

2.       They are corrupt and do vile things.

3.       They do not understand, or seek God.

4.       They never learn.

5.       They hurt good people.

6.       They are fearful.

7.       They frustrate the plans of the poor.

The psalm also includes promises that God is with the righteous, is a refuge for the poor and that He will restore the fortunes of His people, even though for a time, they will be affected by the fools.

Modern day example: How do you ‘frustrate the plans of the poor?’ Let’s say you are a patent lawyer and a poor man comes in with a good idea. He does not have enough money to hire another lawyer to double-check your work, and he trusts you. You leave the idea on your desk for a year, and then get back to him saying that you checked, but no one wants the idea. You know he needs the money so you offer to buy the idea from him for $100. He agrees, and you patent the idea yourself. No one believes the poor man when he complains, so all the profits are yours….

Psalm 15

The Righteous

This psalm is helpful as it gives us the characteristics of a person who is with God. (i.e. May dwell in His sanctuary, or live on His holy hill, that is, Jerusalem)

Characteristics of a person who is ‘with God.’