Theme: A song for justice
Scripture: Psalm 109
Objectives: (From the D6
Fusion Sunday School Lesson book)
Know:
We will experience opposition and injustice in a sinful and fallen
world.
Think:
Consider God my help and shield against those who oppose or attack
me.
Do:
Ask God to deliver me from my enemies, leaving the vengeance to Him.
A1 Outline
B1 What the evil person did
(Psalm 109:1-5)
B2 What the evil person
deserves (Psalm 109:6-15)
B3 What the evil person did
(Psalm 109:16-20)
B4 What the righteous person
asks for (Psalm 109:21-31) (We can’t have perfect parallelism,
because we do not deserve, we request mercy).
A2 About the Psalm
B1 This is one of the
imprecatory Psalms.
B2 While there are various
opinions regarding these (see here),
they are inspired by God.
B3 In my opinion, they are the
feelings of the Psalmist. The person/s spoken about have crossed
God’s do-not-cross line, choices have consequences, and sin must be
punished.
B4 Also, some are Messianic
either directly or have Messianic overtones.
B5 Discuss possible reasons
for these Psalms, why they are in the Scriptures, and how could a
omnibenevolent God allow such things to happen.
B6 We suffer like our Master.
Consider this from the Letter
to Diognetus : They
[Christians]
love all men, and by all men are persecuted. 12They
are unknown, and still they are condemned; they are put to death, and
yet they are brought to life. 13They
are poor, and yet they make many rich; they are completely destitute,
and yet they enjoy complete abundance. 14They
are dishonored, and in their very dishonor are glorified; they are
defamed, and are vindicated. 15They
are reviled, and yet they bless; when they are affronted, they still
pay due respect. 16When
they do good, they are punished as evildoers; undergoing punishment,
they rejoice because they are brought to life. 17They
are treated by the Jews as foreigners and enemies, and are hunted
down by the Greeks; and all the time those who hate them find it
impossible to justify their enmity.
A3 What the evil person did
(Psalm 109:1-5),
B1 What is described as the
Psalmist’s main complaint? What was this evil man doing?
B2 What are we to do when
people lie about us?
B3 What do we do, if we show
kindness and love, yet are lied about and verbally abused before
others?
B4 Tips
C1 Pray: “I
am in prayer.”
C2 Entrust: 1 Peter 4:19 CSB -
So then, let those
who suffer according to God's will entrust themselves to a faithful
Creator while doing what is good.
The Greek word for entrust means commit, to deliver, to give custody
of. How do we entrust ourselves to God?
C3 God knows the truth:
D1 Psalm 31:5 NKJV - Into
Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of
truth.
D2 John 2:23-25 (Pickering)
Now while He was in
Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed into His
name, observing the signs that He was doing. But as for Jesus
Himself, He did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all men
and that He had no need that anyone should testify about man, because
He Himself knew what was in man.
C4 God is judge: Acts 10:42
NKJV - And He
commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He
who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.
C5 You are in good company:
D1 Luke 23:46 NKJV - And
when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father,
'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He
breathed His last.
Acts 7:59 NKJV - And
they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit."
A4 What the evil person
deserves (Psalm 109:6-15),
B1 Why does David ask so many
punishments against these liars?
B2 Is God under any obligation
to do these things?
B3 Does God want repentance
from these people or punishment?
B4 Does God rejoice in the
death of the wicked?
C1 Ezekiel 33:11 NKJV - "Say
to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.
Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of
Israel?'
C2 Ezekiel 18:23, 32 NKJV -
"Do I have any
pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord GOD,
"and not that he should turn from his ways and live? ... "For
I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord
GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"
B5 Is this Psalm a prophecy of
Judas? Consider:
C1 Acts 1:15-20 NKJV - And
in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples
(altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and
said, "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled,
which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning
Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; "for he
was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry." (Now
this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling
headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed
out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that
field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of
Blood.) "For it is written in the Book of Psalms: 'Let his
dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it'; and, 'Let
another take his office.'
C2 John 6:66-71 NKJV - From
that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no
more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go
away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall
we go? You have the words of eternal life. "Also we have come to
believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus answered them, "Did
I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" He
spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would
betray Him, being one of the twelve.
B5 Was Judas like a lot of
phony religious leaders? Matthew 10:2-8 NKJV - Now
the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is
called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax
collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was
Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed
Him. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do
not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the
Samaritans. "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven
is at hand.' "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,
cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
B6 How do leaders like this
get into positions of authority and power?
A5 What the evil person did
(Psalm 109:16-20),
B1 In this passage, this evil
person/s show a life opposite of what a believer should be. Does this
give a believer today guidance of how we should live?
B2 In Psalm 109:16, give some
examples of those who might be broken in heart?
C1 Abused women, men, and
children. Often the elders, pastors, etc. persecute the abused and
protect the abuser.
C2 Those who have had a loved
one killed.
C3 Who else?
B3 Instead of grieving for the
sins of society, they cover it up. We should grieve: Ezekiel 9:3-6
NLT - Then the glory
of the God of Israel rose up from between the cherubim, where it had
rested, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. And the LORD called
to the man dressed in linen who was carrying the writer's case. He
said to him, "Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a
mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because of the
detestable sins being committed in their city." Then I heard the
LORD say to the other men, "Follow him through the city and kill
everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity!
Kill them all--old and young, girls and women and little children.
But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin right here at the
Temple." So they began by killing the seventy leaders.
B4 What is the meaning of the
phrase: He wore
cursing as his garment?
Note that this cursing could be in thoughts, words, desires, and/or
deeds.
B5 Does God sometimes punish
the evil person with the very same things that the evil person did?
A6 What the righteous person
asks for (Psalm 109:21-31),
B1 How would these verses be
applied to our Lord Jesus?
B2 In the early morning hours
I go for my run. At the end of the driveway is a yard light. When I
look down I see my shadow. If the night is clear with no moon, I can
see my shadow with difficulty up to ¼ of a mile (~400 meters). This
is the meaning of the phrase: Psalm 109:23 CSB - I
fade away like a lengthening shadow...
B3 Why do these people have
such arrogance to wish all kinds of evil against someone?
B4 In Psalm 109:30, how does
the one who is delivered by Almighty God respond?
B5 Why kind of deliverance is
spoken of in Psalm 109:31? Is this spiritual deliverance, physical
deliverance, both, neither, other?
B6 Why does God deliver
people?
B7 How did the Father deliver
His son, the Lord Jesus?
A7 Other questions:
B1 Why do the Psalms bring
comfort? There are Psalms for praise, for asking for help, for
grieving, for feelings of revenge, etc.
B2 Why does God deliver
anyone?
B3 Who are the people the hurt
us the most? Is it strangers, friends, family, spouse, pastor,
government, or boss?
B4 What is the difference
between justice and revenge?
A8 Next week:
B1 The greatest love
B2 Theme: God is love
B3 Scriptures:
- 1 John 4:7-19
- Psalm 40
- Ephesians 2:1-10
- Romans 5:6-11
- John 3:16-17
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