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Meta
How to Find the Truth
Having determined that the Bible is true and that the truth is knowable, the next question we should ask is how can we know that truth?
We believe this comes down to hermeneutics (from a Greek word meaning “interpretation” or “expert in interpretation”). It basically means the method you use for interpretation.
There are various methods. The one we think makes the most sense is generally called the “literal, historical, grammatical” method. In other words, the text of Scripture is taken to mean what it says literally, the events in Scripture are considered to have happened historically and the words themselves are used in their normal grammatical sense.
How can we be sure this is the correct way? For starters, if something doesn’t mean what it says, it isn’t truth. God can’t claim that His Word is true if He tells us one thing but means something entirely different. (For example, If He tells us that the world was created in seven days each of which had a morning and an evening when what He actually meant is that the “days” were really long periods lasting millions of years during which evolution took place, then He isn’t telling the truth.)
Then there’s the fact that God tells us to stand for the truth, defend the truth, and preach the truth. How can we possible do those things if we can’t know what the truth is — or if the things God Himself tells us aren’t true to begin with?
And if the Bible doesn’t mean what it says, who gets to decide what it does mean? There are those who claim that the gift of interpretation is only given to some — priests or pastors or theologians — and that the rest of us should rely on them to tell us what Scripture means. This was a popular view in the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. The Bible was only printed in Latin so that only priests could read it. There are two pretty obvious problems with this approach.
First, if it were true that priests and pastors and theologians have a special insight into biblical truth, there would be a large degree of consensus among them in regard to truth. There is virtually no consensus at all.
Second, there’s Scripture itself.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 — Test all things; hold fast what is good. Context is always important. This verse is at the end of a string of exhortations in which Paul instructs Christians regarding prayer, the will of God, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and the correct approach to prophecy (in this context, Scripture, which includes Paul’s letters to them).
Acts 17:10-12 — Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed.
There are a lot more instructions on studying Scripture, including Psalm 119, 2 Timothy 2:15, and many of the verses we included in our previous post on truth.
We are to search Scripture for ourselves to find the truth. Yes, we should listen to pastors, read commentaries, and talk to other people. Yes, they can help us understand. But ultimately, we as individuals, are responsible for checking what we hear against Scripture to see if what we’ve heard is true.
“But,” many say, “the Bible is filled with figures of speech and allegories and parables that can’t be taken literally.” We believe, for many people, this is just an excuse not to study. For others, it’s a way of “explaining away” uncomfortable verses instead of explaining them.
We all use figures of speech and illustrations in everyday talk and we never have any trouble understanding each other. If someone told you that they found a “boatload” of coins under the cushions of their couch, you would know they were using a figure of speech and that they didn’t actually find enough coins to fill a boat. But you would also know that they had — literally — found a large number of coins.
Not only that, but in most cases in Scripture where visions, allegories, or parables are used, the Bible almost immediately explains them or explains how to interpret them.
One final point. The Bible takes itself literally, which should be our pattern for understanding it. Micah 5:2 says that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The Messiah was born in Bethlehem. Zechariah 9:9 says that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem riding on a colt. The Messiah entered Jerusalem riding on a colt.
It’s true that a lot of people in Scripture didn’t understand things in Scripture, but in many cases, the Lord made it clear that they should have (John 3:10, for example).
Again, please hear us—we’re not claiming that we do understand everything in Scripture. And we believe that we can’t understand it completely without the help of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:14 — But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
To sum up, we believe that Scripture can be understood (with the help of the Holy Spirit) and that the way to understand it is to believe that it means what it says.
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Truth
The Bible tells us that creation and our consciences clearly prove to us that there is a God. From that evidence, we can know a lot about God. But using those sources alone, we can’t know God. For that, He gave us the Bible. If you don’t accept that statement, than what follows will mean nothing to you.
(To keep this post a reasonable length, we are only going to post a selection of the verses that back up our points. There are many more we could use.)
God inspired men to write the Scriptures. In those Scriptures, He says, unequivocally that His Word is true.
Psalm 119:160 — The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 — For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
God wants all people to know the truth.
1 Timothy 2:4 — Who [God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
God says that we should study the truth.
1 Timothy 4:13, 15-16 — Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
God says that we should obey the truth.
Galatians 5:7 — You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
God says that we should stand fast for the truth and defend the truth.
Ephesians 6:14 — Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 — Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
God says that we should tell others the truth.
2 Timothy 2:24-25 — And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.
God says that we will be held accountable for not knowing and believing the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:12 — That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
It makes no sense that God would instruct us to stand fast for something we could not know or hold us accountable for not knowing something we can’t understand.
Based on these few verses, we can absolutely, definitively know three things:
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Scripture is truth.
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That truth is knowable.
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We are accountable for knowing it.
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Can We Know?
Several times in the past year, my wife and I have been talking to others about some point of biblical doctrine and have had them look at us blankly and say, in essence, “There are so many different views. Can we ever know for sure?”
We find this sad.
These are Christians saying this. People who believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again and that, because of their faith, they are saved and will spend eternity with Him. But that’s about all they believe. They aren’t willing to take a stand on any other point and get very uncomfortable when we do.
We’ve responded with this: “If you tell me I don’t understand Scripture, I am challenged to study more and learn so that I do understand. But if you tell me I can’t understand Scripture, I have no incentive to study at all.” But that doesn’t convince them because a lot of Christians don’t study Scripture. Or at least they don’t study it for themselves. They do packaged studies or go to groups where they hear somebody else read from a packaged study or they go to church and hear a preacher read his packaged seminary notes. For the most part, a lot of believers are afraid to study on their own. While there can be value in any message from Scripture, unless a person digs into the Word on a personal basis, there’s no way the can be sure that what they’ve heard is correct.
During one conversation on doctrinal truth with a young woman, she interrupted us and said “That’s too hard. I want to just go on believing what I’ve always believed.”
Why have so many Christians reached this point?
On the one hand, the cultural emphasis on diversity has crept into Christian circles in the guise of tolerance for others’ doctrinal views. We don’t want to offend anyone, so we don’t take any stand that somebody might take exception to. And anyway, “if they believe the important stuff, what does the rest of it matter?”
The typical church also bears a lot of the blame because the messages present a bad example of how to study and interpret Scripture. In the church we used to attend, the pastor once gave a message on the importance of being in the Word. As we listened carefully, we realized that “being in the Word” to him meant listening to him preach on Sundays — and that was it. We once heard him preach a message from Ezekiel on why the church should have multiple campuses. On another Sunday, the topic was why it was OK for the church to have a major fundraising drive to build a coffee shop — based on Psalm 92.
As people without a background in personal Bible study listen to these messages, they’re being conditioned to think that Scripture can be made to mean anything, or that only those who get paid to study can possibly know what a passage really means.
And we know several Christians who will come right out and say that major portions of Scripture — the creation account in Genesis, the entire book of Revelation, and even parts of Romans — can’t be taken literally. They say that we have to look to science for the facts. They say that much of the Bible has to be interpreted allegorically, or that much of it can’t be understood, or that there’s no way to know the truth.
Yet these same Christians will look to the very Bible that they just completely discredited and point to a few familiar passages, such as John 3:16, and announce, in essence, “This. This is truth. I will stake my eternal destiny on this.” We don’t understand how they can do that. If so much of the Bible can be so readily dismissed, how can they be sure about any of it? How do they know any of what they believe is true?
Please understand. We are not claiming that we have a full understanding of Scripture.
But we believe, as firmly as we believe anything, that we can understand Scripture. In future posts, we will do our best to explain why we feel that way and how we approach Scripture as a result.
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Psalm 55:1-23
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David.
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and hear me;
I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.
4 My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah
8 I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues,
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it on its walls;
Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
11 Destruction is in its midst;
Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.
12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
13 But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
14 We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.
15 Let death seize them;
Let them go down alive into hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.
16 As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For there were many against me.
19 God will hear, and afflict them,
Even He who abides from of old. Selah
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.
moan noisily (v.2) = made an uproar, express great agitation
severely pained (v.4) = lit. trembling, the tremors brought on by anxiety
terrors (v.4) = dread
Though the situation underlying this psalm is unspecified, a clue as to what it may have been is indicated by his wish (in v.6) that he had wings like a dove that he might fly away and be at rest (doves being prone to fly about and dwell in places inaccessible to hunters), which recalls David’s words in 1 Samuel 26:20, when he was cornered by Saul in the wilderness of Ziph. — Wechsler, page 154.
divide their tongues (v.9) — If this psalm was written about the time of Absalom and Ahithophel’s rebellion, this prayer would seem to have been answered in 2 Samuel 17:1-14. This may be a reference to Babel.
my companion and my acquaintance (v.12) — “acquaintance” can be translated “familiar friend” or even “relative” (as in Ruth 2:1). This could apply, in David’s case to either Saul or Absalom.
As typically in his psalms of lament and complaint, David finds solace despite his situation (i.e., before it has been resolved) by affirming what he knows God will do — not by presuming upon God with what David wants Him to do, but rather affirming what He Himself has said He will do, and, because He is faithful to His word (1 Samuel 15:29), what we who are His children have every right to expect Him to do. — Wechsler, page 155.
moved (v.22) = never lose or be separated — from his promised inheritance of life in the eternity in the presence of God.
Williams’ take:
The conduct of Absalom and Ahithophel (2 Samuel 15) illustrate but do not exhaust the Psalm. It concerns the hatred and treachery which Messiah suffered personally in the days of His flesh; and which He now suffers, and will yet suffer, in sympathy with His people (Colossians 1:24).
As predicted in Daniel 11 and John 5:43, the majority of the Jews will accept Anti-Christ as the promised Messiah. He will make a covenant with them, and, with them, cruelly persecute the believing minority. But after a little time he will break the covenant and seek to destroy them all. This is the covenant referred to in verse 20; and his is the hypocrisy of verse 11. — Williams, page 342
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Psalm 54:1-7
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”
1 Save me, O God, by Your name,
And vindicate me by Your strength.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen up against me,
And oppressors have sought after my life;
They have not set God before them. Selah
4 Behold, God is my helper;
The Lord is with those who uphold my life.
5 He will repay my enemies for their evil.
Cut them off in Your truth.
6 I will freely sacrifice to You;
I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For He has delivered me out of all trouble;
And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.
Ziphites (intro) — The Ziphites were members of the tribe of Judah, as was David. The city of Ziph was four miles south of Hebron. David was hiding in a nearby woods. See 1 Samuel 23:19. A similar occurrence is recorded in 1 Samuel 26:1.
name (v.1) — signifies not merely the collection of “sounds” by which God is known, but His reputation as revealed in who He is and what He does. In this way David is therefore making a concise appeal that God act upon His covenant love as previously affirmed and demonstrated towards him. — Wechsler, page 152
vindicate (v.1) = judge, defend
strangers (v.3) — the Ziphites
oppressors (v.3) = awe-inspiring, striking terror — Saul and his soldiers
not set God before them (v.3) — they have not sought to live their lives in the “fear” (that is, “worship”) of God, in contrast to the righteous who, even if imperfect, “set the LORD continually before” them (Psalm 16:8); by “vindicating” David (v.1), therefore, God will ultimately be vindicating Himself, in the emulation of whose character and obedience to whose laws David lives. — Wechsler, page 152.
uphold (v.4) = sustain, lean, rest, support
David’s confidence (vs. 4-5) — as he affirms so frequently throughout his psalms — is his relationship with God; it is his conviction, based on God’s own words and promises to him, that, whatever may transpire in his role as Israel’s king, God is his helper — the personal intimacy of which notion is indicated both by the use here of a variant form of the same word used for Eve as Adam’s wife (i.e., a helper suitable to him”; Genesis 2:18, 20) as well as by the additional descriptive phrase “sustainer of my soul.” — Wechsler, pages 152-153.
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[David] ends this psalm (as he does so many others; cf. Psalms 7:17; 13:6; 26:11-12; etc.) by affirming what he will do (v.6: “I will sacrifice … (and) give thanks”) regardless of how and when God might resolve his present predicament, for ultimately He will deliver (v.7; the use of the past tense “delivered” underscores the certainty of the event) David — as every believer — from all trouble and he will look back upon his enemies (i.e., unbelievers) with the knowledge that God’s name has been eternally vindicated. — Wechsler, page 153.
my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies (v.7) — Psalm 59:10; 92:11
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Psalm 53:1-6
To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath.” A Contemplation of David.
1 The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;
There is none who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3 Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.
4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon God?
5 There they are in great fear
Where no fear was,
For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you;
You have put them to shame,
Because God has despised them.
6 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God brings back the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
This psalm represents an iteration, with minor variations, of Psalm 14, the reason being to emphasize the unchanging anatomy of human folly (viz., it’s essence and pervasiveness). The concise instruction “according to Mahalat” most likely designating the melody according to which the psalm was to be sung, though the meaning of the term “Mahalat” is uncertain (suggestions include “sickness,” “entreaty,” or “pardon”). — Wechsler, pages 150-151.
Quoted in Romans 3:10-12
fool (v.1) = one with a withered intellect — In Scripture, it refers to the wicked who aggressively and intentionally boast of their independence from God and His commandments, who deny His existence or deny the existence of divine justice.
abominable (v.1) = abhorred, detested
looks down (v.2) — referring to God’s assessment of the heart of men
That this passage is applied to Jews as well as Gentiles is shown by the use of the same phrases in other passages applying directly to Israel. For example, “they have become corrupt” (Deuteronomy 31:29); “they have turned aside” (Isaiah 1:23).
The main variation between this psalm and Psalm 14 is centered in verse 5, which complements the emphasis on God’s sympathy and proximity to the righteous in the structurally parallel passage in Psalm 14:5-6 by here emphasizing His judgment and rejection of those (i.e., the Gentile nations, who in the Old Testament are generally identified with the enemies of the True God) who encamped against David’s people. — Wechsler, page 151.
The other difference between this psalm and Psalm 14 is the use here of Elohim in all seven mentions of God while the earlier psalm used Jehovah four times.
Here’s Williams’ take:
In Psalm 14, the attention of the reader is directed to the suffering of Messiah and His servants. It is for private use. Its purpose is to sustain Israel’s faith in her future affliction of which that under Pharaoh was a fore-picture. In Psalm 53, “instruction” is given respecting the judgment of the oppressor and the deliverance of the oppressed. It is for public use. The psalm instructs the Fool and his followers respecting the judgment that must overtake them if they do not confess their abominable iniquities and seek forgiveness for them. Psalm 14:6 pictures the Fool and his followers putting the afflicted of Israel to shame; Psalm 53:5 views the Messiah putting the Fool and his followers to shame. But in both psalms, as also in Romans 1 and 2, God’s moral judgment of man, as man, whether he be a Jew or a Gentile, is declared to be the same — all are corrupt. — Williams, pages 341-342.
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Psalm 52:1-9
To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of David when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”
1 Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The goodness of God endures continually.
2 Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 You love evil more than good,
Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
4 You love all devouring words,
You deceitful tongue.
5 God shall likewise destroy you forever;
He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place,
And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous also shall see and fear,
And shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “Here is the man who did not make God his strength,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
9 I will praise You forever,
Because You have done it;
And in the presence of Your saints
I will wait on Your name, for it is good.
This is one of eight psalms which are associated by their titles with David’s experiences as an exile from Saul. The others are Psalm 7 (concerning Cush); Psalm 59 (Saul seeks to kill David); Psalm 34 (David at the court of Abimelech); Psalm 57 (he flees to the cave of Adullam); Psalm 142 (a prayer in the cave); Psalm 54 (David is almost betrayed by the people of Ziph). Psalm 52 is one of the earlier poems. It relates to David’s flight to the tabernacle at Nob. The help given him by Ahimelich the priest was reported to Saul (1 Samuel 21:1-9; 22:9-23). This psalm is an expression of David’s righteous indignation at Doeg’s betrayal. — Guthrie, page 484.
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a contemplation (introduction) — Considering the etymology of this term (conveying the basic notion of “imparting or expressing wisdom”) as well as it’s usage in the Psalms (14:2; 53:2; 41:1) and elsewhere (e.g., Proverbs 10:19; 16:20; 17:2; 21:12), it may be reasonably deduced that a maskil is a type of psalm focusing specifically on instruction in practical wisdom, based on the revelation and unchanging character of God. — Wechsler, page 97.
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[This psalm is a] “theodicy,” which concerns the “vindication” of God’s justice in the face of what would seem to be His allowance and, on occasion, even enacting of injustice (see Romans 9:14-29). In this case the seeming injustice in view is, according to the heading, that which resulted when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul … “David has come to the house of Abimelech” (see 1 Samuel 22:9, 22) — the injustice being (1) God allowing Doeg to communicate David’s whereabouts, thereby placing him in greater danger and distress, and (2) the resultant massacre of the priests at Nob (also at the hand of Doeg) when they admitted to harboring David, who had by then left. (See 1 Samuel 22:18-19.) That Saul turned to Doeg — an unconverted Gentile — when none of his other soldiers were willing to kill the priests, underscores the resultant folly [caused by] God withdrawing from him the empowerment/ability to lead effectively. [See note on Psalm 51:11] — Wechsler, page 148.
O mighty man (v.1) — David is using this term ironically, referring to Doeg’s opinion of himself
Lying rather than speaking righteousness (v.3) — The word “lying” here can also mean “deception” or “treachery.” Technically, what Doeg reported about David was true. David is referring, rather, to his intent (v.4 speaks to this) and the fact that he meant both David and Abimelech evil. He certainly wasn’t speaking righteousness. While lying is never justified in Scripture, saying nothing can sometimes be the proper course.
Eternal separation from God, which is unquestionably the essence of the final torment of the wicked, is signaled by David’s assertion that God “will snatch you up, and tear you away from the tent” (v.5). Though some translations insert the pronoun “your” (which is not in the Hebrew text) before “tent” here, it is much more likely that David is referring here to “His (i.e., God’s) tent,” since (1) it is not in fact true that God always “tears away” the wicked from their “tent” (Hebrew ohel, which can only refer to a physical structure), though He will, ultimately, tear down their “house” (i.e., Temple; Hebrew bayit; see v.8 and Psalm 27:4). — Wechsler, pages 149-150.
fear (v.6) = awe, fear of God, which indicates worship and honor and respect
green olive tree (v.8) — a figure of prosperity and longevity
Just as God’s justice is ultimately vindicated by the eternal separation of the wicked from His presence, so too is it vindicated by the commensurate establishment (v.8: “like an olive tree”) of the righteous in His presence — i.e., in the house of God (referring to the “tabernacle” of the New Creation), where David will rest in God’s lovingkindness forever, and praise (or “thank”) Him forever in the company of His godly ones (i.e., the righteous, like him). — Wechsler, page 150.
Williams, as always, takes a Messianic approach:
Doeg hated David and desired his destruction. He falsely accused the High Priest and his family, who were true to David, and at Saul’s command, willingly slaughtered them. He is therefore a type of Anti-Christ, and David a type of Christ.
The last verse contrasts with the first: Anti-Christ boasts of himself; Messiah praises God. Anti-Christ acclaims the success of his malignity; Messiah points to God’s judgment upon it. Anti-Christ abuses the goodness of God; Messiah rejoices in it. — Williams, pages 340-341.
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Psalm 51:1-19
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
Bathsheba (intro) — 2 Samuel 11:1-12:13
One of those things that undoubtedly qualified David as “a man after (God’s) own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) was, not that he was sinless, but that, when confronted with his sin (or sinful intentions), he immediately and sincerely confessed it and repented of it (rather than excusing, diminishing, or ignoring it). Such was exactly his response when called out by Nathan on his sins of murder and adultery and such, therefore, is exactly how he begins this psalm (cf. also his reactions when confronted by Abigail in 1 Samuel 25:23-33, and by his own conscience in 1 Samuel 24:5 and 2 Samuel 24:10). Indeed, the depth of David’s spiritual acumen and theocentric sensitivity is vividly attested by his statement in verse 4: “Against Thee, Thee alone (not “Thee only”), have I sinned” — which is to say, “Against Thee, who art alone (i.e., set apart/unparalleled) as the eternal and holy God, I have sinned.” He is not denying in any way he sinned against Uriah (and, albeit to a lesser degree, against Bathsheba); rather, he is affirming that in addition to the people against whom he has sinned, he has also, ultimately, sinned against the One who is alone in His deity. — Wechsler, page 145.
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lovingkindness (v.1) — The Hebrew word is hesed, used about 250 times in the Old Testament. It means loyal, steadfast, or faithful love and stresses the idea of a belonging together of those involved in the love relationship. Here it connotes God’s faithful love for His unfaithful people (love based on the covenant). — Ryrie, page 1378
The second half of verse 4 is quoted in Romans 3:4. David is saying that God is justified in judging sin, and that His statement that all have sinned is true.
I was shaped in iniquity (v.5) — Job 14:4; Psalm 58:3; John 3:6; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:3
hyssop (v.7) — A common plant of the mint family. Because of its stiff branches and hairy leaves, it served well for sprinkling. In addition to the Passover, it was also used in the purifying of lepers (Leviticus 14:2-7), the cleansing of a plague (Leviticus 14:49-50), and the sacrificing of the red heifer (Numbers 19:2-6). — Ryrie, page 109.
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David implored God’s mercy — i.e., not giving him the full punishment that he does deserve, which is death (both for murder and for adultery; see Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:12; Leviticus 20:10). David recognizes, nonetheless, that God, in His justice, cannot simply ignore sin, and that the penalty it requires (i.e., life) must still somehow be paid (Leviticus 17:11; Psalm 49:7-8), and so he implored God to purify him with hyssop (v.7) — hearkening back to the first appearance of hyssop in the Bible, in Exodus 12:22, where it is used to apply the blood of the “unblemished” Passover lamb to one’s door, that God might “pass over” that house with the tenth plague of death.. This event, which was itself a “type,” or “foreshadowing,” of Jesus’ substitutionary (i.e., life for life) sacrifice for sin (see 1 Corinthians 5:7), establishes the use and symbolism of hyssop in the Bible as an instrument of cleansing — both internal-spiritual, as in the present psalm, and external-physical (Leviticus 14:4-7; Numbers 19:6). — Wechsler, pages 145-146.
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Cleansing (v.7) in Scripture is twofold: (1) of a sinner from the guilt of sin — the blood (hyssop) aspect; and (2) of a saint from the defilement of sin — the water (wash) aspect. — Scofield, page 624
whiter than snow (v.7) — Isaiah 1:18
do not take Your Holy Spirit from me (v.11) — In the Old Testament economy, the Holy Spirit was particularly related to service, rather than salvation. Here David is asking God not to take away his service as the anointed king of Israel. — Ryrie, page 877
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What David is requesting here is that God not take away His special empowerment to function wisely in the role of Israel’s king — as He removed that empowerment from Saul when He transferred the role of king to David in 1 Samuel 16:13-14 (after which Saul’s decisions as king are consistently unwise — even though he himself is still “saved”; cf. 1 Samuel 28:19. — Wechsler page 147.
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I will teach transgressors Your ways (v.13) — As David, forgiven and restored, won transgressors to God, so Israel, forgiven and restored, will win nations to God. — Williams, page 339.
You do not desire sacrifice (v.16) — 1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm 50:8-14; Micah 6:6-8
broken spirit (v.17) — Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 57:15; 66:2
sacrifices of righteousness (v.19) — It is important to bear in mind that David’s assertion in v.16 (“Thou dost not delight in sacrifices,” etc.) does not concern sacrifice per se, but rather sacrifice offered without a proper heart-attitude and foundation of faith. Once that foundation is laid, the sacrifice, as David clearly indicates in concluding this psalm, must inevitably follow — for, as God declares through His servant Moses, “I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (Leviticus 17:11; see also Hebrews 9:22). — Wechsler, pages 147-148.
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David in his sin, repentance, and restoration, is a fore-picture of Israel; for as he forsook the Law and was guilty of adultery and murder, so Israel despised the Covenant, turned aside to idolatry, and murdered the Messiah. Thus the scope and structure of the Psalm go far beyond David: they predict the future confession and forgiveness of Israel in the day of Messiah’s apparition; when looking upon Him Whom they pierced they shall mourn and weep (Revelation 1:7). — Williams, page 339
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1 Thessalonians 5:23-28
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
25 Brethren, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
may the God of peace (v.23) — Paul has been giving his readers instructions on how to live, but now he acknowledges that they can only do so in God’s power.
Himself (v.23) — in Greek, this pronoun is in the place of emphasis
sanctify (v.23) — tense refers to an act completed at a given time with ongoing results — a process seen in perspective and so contemplated as a complete act
completely (v.23) — not referring to an increasing degree of sanctification but that the sanctification would extend to every part
and (v.23) = and so — continuing the thought just stated
Nobody seems to be quite sure about the distinction between the spirit and the soul, and I’m not going to pretend I understand, but I do think Scripture makes it clear that there is a distinction. Here are a couple views:
The language of Hebrews 4:12 suggests the extreme difficulty of distinguishing between the soul and the spirit, alike in their nature and in their activities. Generally speaking the spirit is the higher, the soul the lower element. The spirit may be recognized as the life principle bestowed on man by God, the soul as the resulting life constituted in the individual, the body being the material organism animated by soul and spirit, by which alone these can receive impressions from, or communicate impressions to, the material world. — Vine, page 96.
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Although the words “soul” and “spirit” are sometimes used interchangeably in Scripture when referring to man, a distinction is observed in some passages. They are declared to be divisible (Hebrews 4:12) and are distinguished when used in reference to the burial and resurrection of the human body. The body is buried a natural body (in Greek, soul-body) but raised a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44). The difference between the two terms seems to be that the spirit is that which “knows” (1 Corinthians 2:11) and is capable of God-consciousness and communication with God (Job 32:8; Proverbs 20:27), whereas the soul is the seat of the affections, desires, emotions and the will of man (Matthew 11:29; 26:38; John 12:27). — Scofield, page 1293.
preserved (v.23) — tense refers to an act completed at a given time with ongoing results — a process seen in perspective and so contemplated as a complete act
blameless (v.23) — In Greek, the words for “complete” and “without blame” occur here, summed up in the NKJV as “blameless.” Complete means “entire, complete in every part.” So, without blame in every part of the soul, spirit, and body.
will do it (v.24) — God not only calls us to complete blamelessness, but He will Himself accomplish it in us.
charge (v.27) = to put on oath, i.e. make swear; by analogy, to solemnly enjoin
read (v.27) = read, know again, know certainly, recognize, discern — to know again through reading
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