Our Father in God, we thank you again for your word. We thank you especially for this part of your word, the Psalms. We thank you for the many things that we've been able to learn over the last number of weeks, especially in regard to how you had these Psalms arranged and the message that that gives to us. So Lord, we pray as we bring that to a conclusion that you would continue to instruct us that we might better understand your word, and then, of course, better live by it and according to it. And so we pray these things in Christ's name, amen. All right, you might remember last week we ended with a question. We had talked about the final grouping of Davidic Psalms, and David starts, can you say positively, with Psalm 138, Psalm 139 even, until you get to the end, and then you'll see some imprecations, which then led to Psalms 140 to 144, where that's the whole theme. David is asking God to protect him from his enemies and to bring judgment against them. Psalm 145 is more positive, the final Davidic psalm, and it's filled with praise. Believers are to talk about the greatness of God and so forth. And then he ends, especially verses 17 to 21, is a nice summary of not only this psalm, but the Davidic psalms and even the psalms up to this point in many ways. So I left us with the question, why would Ezra or the group of men after the exile when they compiled the Psalter, why would you put these Davidic Psalms here? I thought book five was about praising the Lord and here we're talking about enemies and hardship and so forth again. So what are some thoughts? Yes, Kathy. to make them more forward to the mission and Messiah. And also, in the Psalms, it's kind of like the undercutting of the mystery. The consummation of heaven will always be looking back on Jesus, and Messiah, and his salvation and his triumph. There will always be grace in heaven. Right, right, right. Yeah, very much true. By focusing on David, it reminds us of the greater David, basically. and his sufferings and triumphs and thus we praise God. Yes, Matthew. Right. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. Yeah, the so-called negative ending Reminds us that we're still living in a sinful world. And, yeah. So, yes. Is that you, Heather? Okay. Yeah, there is a more, can you say, positive flavor, so to speak, in these psalms, these laments. That's right, that's right. Some of David's psalms are not quite so positive, but these are more that way. Any other thoughts? All right, let me say a few things. I think you're on the right track. Remember that the original setting were to the Israelites who had just returned from exile. So the immediate context had to do with people who had just been in exile, had come back from exile. Maybe some of those people have died and it's the next generation. We don't know exactly when this was done, but probably not very long after they return. And so the exiles can relate to these ideas very directly. They understand these laments. Without saying so, it would recall in their minds Daniel in the lion's den, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace, and Esther, and Mordecai, and Haman, and so forth. How they were, not just these individuals, but Israel as a whole, forcibly taken and kept away from Israel. So, it's something maybe we can relate in this way. A few months ago, we recalled 9-11. a 20-year anniversary, so to speak. For some people, it brings back immediate memories, because they were a part of it very directly. So, something like that, I think, is part of the reason why they are placed here. Then, tying in somewhat to what Matthew was saying, though Israel has returned from exile, there still are wicked people around. There still are wicked rulers and nations that harass God's people and oppress them. David experienced it, but even 500 years later, the people of God are still facing the same kind of hardships. You remember, especially we see in Ezra, but even in Nehemiah and such there that the peoples of the land opposed the Israelites when they came back, especially when they were resettling and rebuilding the temple and even the wall. So, there was a very immediate application. There were enemies at that moment, most likely, when the Psalter was compiled. If not, again, in the very recent past or something to that effect. Again, we don't have all the details, but something like this is certainly reasonable. Also, and this now ties in with what Kathy was saying, the return from Babylon is not the final event in God's plan of redemptive history. As important as that was, as exhilarating, if you will, as it was for Israel to come back and reestablish in the Promised Land, that's not it. The Messiah has not yet come. The wicked continue to harm, and God's people continue to ask for God's judgment against the wicked. And remember, the temple wasn't quite as big as the old one. There's lots of things there that said, hey, it's not quite what it's supposed to be yet. Ezekiel 40 through 48 certainly has not yet been fulfilled. This new temple doesn't sound like anything like what Ezekiel's temple sounds like. And that's because simply the Messiah has not yet come. So the wicked continue to harm because the Messiah is not yet here. But as we know, the Messiah, when he did come, left again and will come back. And so the reality of God's people with oppression and hardships and so forth remains until Christ returns. And so remember in Revelation 6 verses 9 and 10, the martyrs are crying out from under the altar asking for God to judge the wicked. And so you see the parallel. The Psalms, right before the great ending of praise, here's David saying, Lord, punish the wicked. Revelation, we see the same kind of thing. And even into chapter 19, with Babylon being defeated, and then the people praising God, and then the new heavens and the new earth. A similar pattern, it appears, very deliberately, God leading these men in that way. So, a few thoughts here in regard to this question. So, any questions or comments here before we look at the last section? Well. Now, the final Hallel Psalms. Psalms 146. Yep. That's right. Yes. Yes. That's right. That's right. So let me build up to that point. Yes, Matthew. Hallel is the Hebrew verb that is used for hallelujah, and so hallelu is the imperative second plural, you praise, all y'all, or all yuns, or whatever, praise. And then Yah, of course, is short for Yahweh. Most commentators and such will use this language, but that's what we're talking about. All right. Well, as Nalene is already hinting at here, it's very fitting to end the Psalms with praise. The Psalms praise Yahweh throughout, but they climax, obviously, in this way. So let's do a brief review leading up to this. In Book One, You recall David has been established in Zion as king, but he faces regular opposition. There's your main theme. Book two, David continues to endure opposition, but his throne is increasingly established. And so book two culminates in Psalm 72, the Psalm that Solomon wrote, and it speaks of the universal reign of God's anointed. Remember in book two, there is more of an outward focus. The world is addressed, calling them to accept Israel's God and worship him. So then book three, Israel, both the north and the south in the kingdoms, Israel's taken into exile. The promises of God are gone, seemingly. So then book four, Israel is in exile and begins to learn what is most important. The outward aspects of their religion are gone. There is no temple worship. The promised land, they're not in it. They're forced then to emphasize the spiritual meanings behind the outward forms. And so, as we've talked about, if we are no longer allowed to come to church and gather as the people of God and partake of these outward forms is going to force us to focus on the spiritual significance behind them because we don't have that opposition to that degree yet many times we just focus on the outward forms and not the most significant things of them so this forces Israel to do it and Israel starts to learn. And the synagogue is established in exile, the Word of God becomes the focal point, and not so much the sacrifices, and they come to terms with the reality that Yahweh is king over all, even though his earthly throne is destroyed and his earthly kingdom has been overrun. So, as they learn these things, even in the hardships, they praise God. Which brings us then to book five. As we've seen thus far, Israel, Psalm 107, returns to the promised land. And they have grown. They are generally a more faithful people to Yahweh now. You don't see the same idolatry after the exile as you do before. There is a gradual establishment of Israel and maturation of the people of God. Is it perfect? Of course not. Does it stay that way? Unfortunately not. We see that by the time Christ comes. But, at this point, they are filled with thanksgiving and praise. Though life is not like it used to be in the days of David and Solomon, though this temple is smaller, though they have no king, though there's no obvious kingdom, yet God has brought them back. The promises continue. and the expectation of the coming Messiah is clearly present in many ways more than it was before the exile and Yahweh does rule as king whether or not there's a wall surrounding and whether or not there's a king sitting in Jerusalem. It's rather interesting that the Psalms in some ways And similarly to Malachi, we're waiting for the Messiah, we're waiting for something better. And so we praise God for what has happened, but we also praise God for what we are anticipating. And when he does come, the true king will establish himself in Israel in its fullness, and thus praise will be fully expressed. And so hence, ending in this way. As we know, when Christ came, he informed his people that he was going to leave again and then come back at some point. We see that Israel is now manifested in the church. We see that the place of worship now can be anywhere that God's people gather together. And we also see that Christ came not to establish Israel the way it was under David and Solomon, but to defeat our spiritual enemies, and then come back again and establish His kingdom in its fullness. And so in the meantime, we struggle, we face opposition until then, but at His second coming, then the fullness of His work will be accomplished, and praise to God will be perfect and eternal." So, the Psalms end in one sense where Malachi ends, anticipating more. But at the same time, the Psalms end where the Bible ends, with praise. So, remember Luther called this Psalter a little Bible, a little Old Testament, but also a little Bible. And so again, it's very fitting to end in this way. All right, now, we see then, in conclusion, these words. And so let's turn here briefly, let's turn to Psalm 144, first of all. David's Psalms, Start, if you will, praising, okay? Psalm 144, verse one, blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. Okay, so notice, remember as I said before, the word blessing, when we say it toward God, it's the idea of praising him. Notice how he ends in verse 15. And then in Psalm 145, I'll extol you, my God, O King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I'll bless you and I'll praise your name forever and ever and so forth, right? There's more praise here and that then prepares us and spills into this great ending of praise. So as we've done, let's just briefly look at the content of each of these Psalms. Psalm 146, praise the Lord, right? Hallelujah. It begins and ends this Psalm. And then again, praise the Lord. That's stated, it's not the word hallelujah, but it's saying the same thing. It's just syntactically a little different. Praise the Lord, O my soul. And then he continues here saying, Yahweh is worthy of praise because he's our king. He is sovereign. He is great. And he's near to us. He is our help. We can come to Him, and so forth. Now, He made the heavens. He did all these amazing things that are far beyond us, and yet we can come to Him, and He comes to us. He comes to the oppressed, and so forth. Notice He says that men are not our hope. Verse three, Yahweh is. The kings have failed. The monarchy failed, which we knew that would be the case from 1 Samuel 8, but here's a reference in that way. And so no matter how the world appears to us, no matter how hard it is or whatever, God is in control, and so we praise him. So Psalm 147 again begins with hallelujah. It's good to sing praise. It's pleasant. It's beautiful. Notice how the psalm again ends with hallelujah. Here we praise Yahweh because He helps us against our enemies. We praise Yahweh because He cares for His creatures and for those who fear Him. We praise Yahweh because He strengthens Jerusalem. Okay, note verse 12 especially. And we praise Him because He governs the weather. Verses 15 and following. I don't know if you heard, we might have another foot of snow by the end of the week here, so. And Boston got, what was it, 24 inches of snow here yesterday. Yeah, okay. Yeah, we praise Yahweh because he helps us against our enemies. That's how he begins. We praise Yahweh because he cares for his creatures. You see him binding up the broken hearted and so forth, and even covering the heavens with clouds and preparing rain, verses seven and eight, and so on. Gives the beast food. We see that he strengthens Jerusalem, verse 12, and following, and then he governs the weather, verses 15 to 18 especially. And then notice how it ends, we praise Yahweh because he has chosen Israel from all the nations. Alright, Psalm 148, again, see how it begins with hallelujah and ends with hallelujah, but we have the verb for praise a number of times here in the psalm. Simply, everything ought to praise Yahweh, the heavenly host, he begins with, and then Both, you can say, the angels and the sun and moon, and so on. And then we praise him, the earthly creatures do, so note especially verses seven and following. So both animate and inanimate praise God. Then it ends with his rule above everything and over all, but especially governing his people. Psalm 149, again begins and ends with hallelujah. Sing to the Lord a new song and praise in the assembly of the saints and so forth. So here we're summarizing the joy that fills our praise to Yahweh. We have dance, we have song, here especially, verses two to four. Note again, we have joy in verse five. And we praise Yahweh, who then enables us to defeat our enemies. You see that especially in verses six through nine. So let me pause and just say this. You see how the end of the Psalter is not the end of the Bible. We're still having to defeat our enemies. The end of the Bible, that's done. We don't have to defeat any more enemies. once the new heavens and new earth are established. All right, then Psalm 150, very familiar to us. You'll hear me use actually all these Psalms in one way or another for a call to worship. Many songs and so forth have been based on these, but especially maybe Psalm 150. So praise the Lord. Again, beginning and ending with hallelujah, plus the verb repeatedly. Praise God in his sanctuary. Praise him in his mighty firmament. Praise him for his mighty acts. Praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet. Praise him with the lute and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance. Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes. Praise him with loud cymbals. Praise him with clashing cymbals and everything that has breath. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Pretty straightforward. We're praising Yahweh where he is, praising him for his character, praising him for his works, praising him with music, praising him with dance, and this final call, let everything praise Yahweh, everything that breathes. All right. Again, our goal here is not the details of each Psalm, but how it all fits together. But do you have any questions, any comments? Yeah, Matt. Well, let's see, what was that? A note in verse eight of Psalm 148. Let's start in verse seven. Praise the Lord from the earth. you great sea creatures and all the depths, fire and hail, snow and clouds, stormy wind fulfilling his word, mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars, beasts and all cattle." Well, how do these things praise the Lord? Well, by doing what they were meant to do. Now, I believe in what we would call a moral ecology that man's sin has affected the created order, not just humans, but affected the animals and the earth in general. And Romans 8, other passages, I think lead us to that conclusion. Nevertheless, when they are doing what God intended them to do, yes, marred by sin, but that praises him. So you think of the other passages, you know, The rocks are crying out and so on and so forth. God made them. They're acknowledging their creator. Maybe not with words like we do, but everything praises God because he's their maker. Other comments or questions? Yes, Susan. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. That's right. In the world, we make a story, but in this alternate, the environment, the animals, the animals, so it involves her, you know, and she is ruling over all of them. And we just have to stop it. That didn't just happen. Yeah. That's right. And even sin has affected that. Imagine what we would see if there weren't sin. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. That's right. That's right. Yeah. Sure. Sure. Absolutely. Absolutely. support of creation in the flood, especially. So even the rock formations give evidence of the flood. And so there, again, in a sense, it embraces rock, and it shows evidence of this. Right. Right. Yeah. And Dale, didn't you talk to us one time about, was it the Fibonacci sequence, and creation everywhere, and so forth? Yeah. You see things everywhere. Yeah. Yeah. I know I talk too much, but just a second. that you thought about to have limits. And if you go back to creation, then you're seeing early fall is a lot of different ones that establish. And then every month, you're seeing a corruption, a distortion, an intense torture of talent, an intense reward of love. And so on that level, it points to, really, God isn't the only key. Yeah. That's right. That's right. What's in our nature? And then it comes down to peace and equality. And then I think our own desire, because it's easy to be toast on this world. Try to be happy here. It gets uncomfortable. And even as I said a moment ago, the Psalms end with a mixture of praise and a reminder that things aren't quite right yet. But at the end of the Bible, you don't see that. Everything's right. That's right, that's right. We still can. Yes, definitely. Well, let me conclude with a brief summary here, and then we'll finish. And I think, Dale, you're on tap next, is that correct? All right. So, and he'll talk about some apologetic things. All right, so, in conclusion then, after all this time, We still have briefly reviewed this topic, and each psalm, and how they were placed in each of the books, contributing to the overall message, and not just looking at the message of each particular psalm. And so, as we come now to read individual psalms, hopefully you're going to see it with a broader view, with a more comprehensive communication from God to us. and even a more comprehensive communication from us to God. So it's not just, as the deer pants for the living waters and such, okay, Psalm 42, but hey, this is the beginning of book two, and here's how it fits with communicating to the nations, and I'm a part of that, too, and so forth. And so, let us try to see what Israel was to learn from this little Bible. Don't just read the Psalms randomly. fit them within this broader structure. And I believe there's one of Robertson's books on the back table if you'd like to look at it more detailed. Most of what I've done here basically is echoing what he does, but I actually have developed some things beyond what he has done. And anyway, it's been a great, great study for me and hopefully for you as well. So we will transition now to a new topic, and that is some apologetic things. And Dale will lead us in that. So let's pray together. Our Father in God, we thank you again for the beauty and extent and majesty of your word. We thank you, Lord, that you have made yourself known to us, and we thank you that we can gather together to learn more about it. We pray, Lord, that we wouldn't just fill our minds, but that this would affect our whole person, and that it would affect everything that we do, that we might live a life of praise, even in the midst of hardships, that we might honor you and lift up your name in all things. We pray that now as we gather as your people here for our corporate worship, that you would be honored and that you would be glorified in our worship here today. We thank you that, as Susan reminded us, everything we do, even our best worship, is still tainted with sin. So we thank you that Christ has done it perfectly for us and has taken the judgment that we deserve for our failures to worship you in every way. And for this, Lord, we give you thanks. And yet we ask by your spirit that you would strengthen us to honor you today to the best of our abilities. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.