Sunday Scripture

 

We're continuing with our ongoing series on my simple study of Psalms.  You can see a copy of the journal here: The Book of Psalms 1-50 or you can find all the resources right here on Women Living Well, Psalms 1-50.  I'm attempting to SOAP each Psalm too, though some of them are longer so I will likely only do a selected passage from many of them. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Each psalm's study also includes a reflection question, which I will attempt to journal an answer to.  Today's study is from Psalm 9.  This psalm has 20 verses;  I chose to SOAP only verses 9-10.

S=  "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
"And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee."  (Psalm 9:9-10)

O= C.I. Scofield's title for Psalm 9 is "Praise for victory over enemies".  The biblical heading in the KJV reads, "To the chief Musician upon Muth-labben,  A Psalm of David."  The ESV heading reads, "To the Choirmaster according to Muth-Labben, a Psalm of David" and notes that Muth-Labben is "probably a musical or liturgical term".  The NKJV reads "To the Chief Musician.  To the tnne of "Death of the Son.  A Psalm of David."  (I don't know if I'm the only one who finds these differences so fascinating, but I do!)

In verses 9 and 10, David says:

* The LORD will be a refuge for the oppressed;
* The LORD will be a refuge in times of trouble.

He tells the Lord:

* Those who know Your name will put their trust in You
FOR
* You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

The ESV uses "stronghold" instead of "refuge" (v.9).  One Bible I looked at said that "refuge" is "an high place" in the Hebrew.

Cross-references for "refuge" -- "Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.  Selah." (Psalm 32:7)

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."  (Psalm 46:1)

"I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; in Him will I trust."  (Psalm 91:2)

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."  (Proverbs 18:10)

"The God of my rock; in Him will I trust; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation; my high tower, and my refuge, my savior; Thou savest me from violence."  (2 Samuel 2:23)

Cross-references for "the oppressed" (v.9) -- "To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress."  (Psalm 10:18)

"Oh, let not the oppressed return ashamed; let the poor and needy praise Thy name."  (Psalm 74:21)

Cross-reference for "times of trouble" (v.9) -- "Why standest Thou afar off, O LORD?  Why hidest Thou Thyself in times of trouble?"(Psalm 10:1)

Cross-references for "know Thy name" (v.10) -- "Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he hath known My name."  (Psalm 91:14)

"I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine."  (John 10:14)

Note from Scofield concerning "trust" (v.10) -- "Trust is the characteristic Old Testament word for the New Testament 'faith' and 'believe'.  It occurs 152 times in the Old Testament, and is the rendering of Hebrew words signifiying 'to take refuge' (Ruth 2:12); 'to lean on' ((Psalm 56:3); 'to roll on' (Psalm 22:8); 'to wait for' (Job 35:14)."

I thought it would be helpful to look at those Scripture references, so here they are:

* "The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust."  (Ruth 2:12 -- where trust signifies to take refuge)

* "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee."  (Psalm 56:3 -- where trust signifies to lean on) 

* "He trusted in the LORD that He would deliver Him: let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him."  (Psalm 22:8 -- where trust signifies to roll on; He rolled Himself on Him)

"Although thou sayest thou shalt not see Him, yet judgment is before Him; therefore trust thou in Him."  (Job 35:14 -- where trust signifies to wait for)

A= When we feel oppressed, God will be our refuge; our stronghold, our high tower.  He is a refuge we can run to in times of trouble.  As mentioned in the Reflection Question, we who know His name have a real relationship with Him.  We can safely trust Him.  He will never forsake us as we seek Him.

Believer's Bible Commentary remarks,  "All who know Him will put their trust in Him, realizing that He has never disappointed the confidence of His people."

Warren Wiersbe notes in With the Word, "[God's] people do not need to worry.  He is their Refuge and will never forsake them (Hebrews 13:5).  The Father forsook His Son on the cross, but He will not forsake you."

P= "Lord, how thankful I am that You will be, and are, a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  I have personally experienced this and know that it is true.  I praise You that we who know Your name can put our trust in You and know that You will never leave us or forsake us.  When we fall into sin, You are there to forgive and restore.  When we struggle with unanswered prayer, You are there to comfort and encourage and remind us of Your good purposes.  You are there with us through every moment of even our most difficult trials.  I praise You for Your presence with us, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Reflection question: Those who know God's name have a real relationship with Him.  We trust in Him and seek Him.

How does the assurance of knowing that God will never forsake you, comfort you when you struggle with unanswered prayer, fall into sin, or face difficult trials?

My response:  I find this assurance very, very comforting.  In responding to this question, I chose to consider each of the three specific scenarios mentioned.

Unanswered prayer -- Since God will never forsake me, He is continually involved in all that concerns me.  The answer may be "wait", or it may eventually be "no", but God Himself will never leave and He will answer my prayer in the way He deems best.

Falling into sin -- When I fall into sin, I may be out of fellowship with God, but He has not left.  He will always be there and will never leave.  He is ready to forgive and restore me to fellowship when I confess my sin to Him.

Difficult trials -- Knowing that God will always be with me, no matter how difficult the trial, is very comforting.  Psalm 91 tells us specifically that He will be with us in trouble.  Psalm 23 reminds us that He is and will be with us even through the valley of the shadow of death, and will comfort us there.

And there is our simple study of Psalm 9:9-10.  I hope it was a blessing to someone today!