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2 Samuel 22 Bible Study (War with the Philistines & David's Song) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  You might have noticed last week that we did not cover the
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  entirety of Second Samuel Chapter 21, and that is okay
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  because I'm here to come for you tonight that we will cover those
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  verses in this. Chapter.
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  Sometimes the chapter breaks may may confuse us or may cause us
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  to separate the thought pattern, but we have to try to look past
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  as much as those chapter breaks. And numbers and verse numbers
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  are helpful. We have to also see beyond that
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  and see the flow of thought. And so we will look at some of
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  these verses in a moment here. But I want you to see the first
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  word of Chapter 22. If you have the ESV, it's the
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  word, and if you have the new King James Version, you'll have
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  the word then. And the first word there denotes
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  that what is happening here in chapter 22 is connected to.
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  The collection of verses in the preceding section.
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  What you see in the last part of chapter 21 is very much tied to
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  what you and I are going to be introduced to here in chapter
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  22. And what you have in the last
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  verses of chapter 21 is quite interesting.
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  You have here a bullet point point form report of David and
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  his men fighting against the common foe, the Philistines.
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  That's what you see, very rapid fire style.
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  Just some reports of how David and his men conquered the
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  Philistines. But not just the Philistines in
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  a general sense. In a very specific sense, what
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  you will see there in those verses is how David and his men
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  conquered the giants who are numbered.
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  Among the Philistines you have 4 specific skirmishes and each one
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  of those battles refers to a giant who has been overtaken by
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  God's. People.
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  I want us to read it quickly before we come into chapter 22,
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  verse 15 to chapter 21. There was a war again between
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  the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with
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  his servants, and they fought against the Philistines.
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  And David grew weary, and Ishby Banab, one of the descendants of
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  the giants whose spear wait 300 shekels of bronze, and who was
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  armed with a new sword thought to kill.
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  David. But Abisha, the son of Zuraya,
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  came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him.
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  Then David's men swore to him. You shall no longer go out with
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  us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.
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  After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob.
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  And Sivakai the Hushatite struck down Saf, who was one of the
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  descendants of the giants. And there was again war with the
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  Philistines at Gob. And El Hanan, the son of Yair.
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  Origim the Bethlemites struck down Goliath the Gettite, the
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  shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
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  Chronicles tells us that this was actually Goliath's brother.
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  Verse 20 there was again wore a Gath, where there was a man of
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  great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six
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  toes on each foot. 24 in number. And he also was descended from
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  the giants. And when he taunted Israel,
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  Jonathan, the son of Shamai, David's brother, struck him
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  down. These four were descended from
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  the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David.
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  And by the. Hand of his servants.
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  You can take each of these incidences and and expand upon
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  them. We're not going to do that.
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  I want us to take a few points from an overarching perspective.
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  I want to make one point here to start.
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  First, recognize how this is mentioned in the latter part of
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  David's life. He became weary.
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  Seems as though David is getting old at this point.
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  He's not the same agile, quick, strong, fierce warrior that he
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  was in his youth. You know his body, like it will
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  with all of us will, you know, going to take a toll.
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  And it did take a toll on him and the men under him.
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  Recognize that. And he said, you're done.
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  You're not coming to war with us anymore.
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  You have to stay back. Let us take care of it.
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  What I find so significant about this is that David is still
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  fighting giants near the end of his life.
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  David is still fighting these towering foes, even as a
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  seasoned warrior. When David fought Goliath as a
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  youth, it was not a one time event.
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  No, what we see here is that there is reoccurrence.
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  These giants reintroduce themselves.
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  And like David, you and I might have known battles in our
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  younger years in the faith. We might have seen God bring
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  great victories and certain aspects of our sin and our
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  flesh. But that does not mean that that
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  same sin, that same temptation. Is not willing to revisit us
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  with a vengeance. In fact, you can expect that you
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  should keep that in mind so that your heart would be strong and
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  that you would be. You'd be discerning with your
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  awareness and not to let your guard down.
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  David here is dealing with giants yet again.
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  Your battle will with sin will continue until you give up your
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  final breath. It doesn't decrease as you
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  increase in age. No, no.
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  You can expect a lifelong struggle with sin.
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  And when I mean struggle, I don't mean defeat.
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  I mean a constant wrestling with the flesh.
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  That's what Galatians 5 tells us, that the spirit and the
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  flesh are constantly at war with one another.
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  And we see that here in the physical sense.
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  And it's it's true. It points to the spiritual
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  trajectory of our own lives. We can expect that here are
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  giants yet again. And I think this is helpful for
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  even those who serve in the in the local church setting.
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  There are people in the local church who who are devoted to
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  serving, who are very much involved with the lives of other
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  people. And if you've been in the local
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  church long enough, you know that in the church problems
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  arise. And if there's a time of peace,
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  then surely at any point there will be some kind of turbulence
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  that will make its way among the people of God.
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  And I've heard it, I've heard people say it.
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  Haven't we already dealt with this issue before?
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  Haven't we already faced these problems before?
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  Hasn't our church learned? Enough already.
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  And if you're there, if you feel that way, if you, if you sense
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  your your body, your soul, your mind, your heart becoming weary.
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  Remember David. Remember David with the giants.
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  Understand that Goliath had siblings.
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  Sin has siblings. Sin multiplies.
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  Sin is ever present. Sin is waiting and always ready
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  to wage war, so keep that in mind, not to discourage you, but
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  to encourage you. Your flesh may grow old, may
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  become weak, but our hearts cannot afford to do so.
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  The Lord will be with us. Secondly, we mentioned these
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  giants and noticed that although David was the main target of the
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  Philistines, they wanted him. He was the lamp of Israel.
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  He was a shining star. If we can get him, we can get
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  the rest. Was it David?
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  Who conquered the giants? What did we read?
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  It was the servants, 4 servants, 4 different servants, who faced
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  4 different giants. That's not an accidental insight
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  that is very much strategic by the spirit to tell us something
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  so wonderful, so wonderful about your faith and my faith.
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  Consider this. Why is this important?
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  Because David for the longest time was recognized and praised
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  as the giant Slayer. Of Israel.
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  When David faced off Goliath, who did he have behind him?
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  Cowards? In Saul's army, not one single
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  soldier was willing to stand up against Goliath.
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  Only one teenager was willing to face off with this blasphemer,
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  and through his faith in the living gods saw victory.
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  And the nation recognized them and crowned them and praised
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  them as such. But according to this text,
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  eventually something happened. What happened?
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  Some of those who admire David, follow David, submitted to
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  David's leadership, followed his example.
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  David wasn't the only giant Slayer.
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  Now you have different men who did the same.
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  What do we learn from that? Here's what you learn from that.
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  David's faith, his obedience, his trust, inspired those around
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  him, inspired those around him to believe the way David
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  believed and to be courageous the way David was courageous.
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  Consider that That's glorious. That's awesome.
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  Because what it tells me is that there is something.
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  Profoundly beautiful and glorious about a single minded
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  devotion to Jesus Christ when you are willing to allow your
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  faith to go to the place where David went to stand alone.
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  If you have to stand alone, then God is able to take that quality
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  of faithfulness and use it as a means to birth a new conviction
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  in the. Dormant or the fearful, he's
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  able to do that. Do you remember the the words of
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  the Apostle Paul and Philippians 114 when he was writing to this
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  church in prison? I love that epistle because
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  here's this man in prison writing to Christians in their
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  church, in their homes. Rejoice over and over.
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  Rejoice, rejoice. I mean, you would think they
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  would write letters to him and say rejoice, rejoice, rejoice.
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  He's writing to them from a dungeon.
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  You rejoice. I'd be convicted just reading
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  those words. But he said something so
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  interesting in Philippians 114. You can turn there if you'd
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  like. He gives this wonderful inside,
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  inside that. Solidifies really the point that
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  I'm trying to make, he says. Here and most of the brothers.
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  Having become confident in the Lord, by my imprisonment are
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  much more bold to speak the word without.
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  Fear. What was it that inspired the
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  Brethren to become more bold in their proclamation and their
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  witness? It took Paul.
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  And his willingness to go to great lengths.
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  And his devotion to God, even if it meant his imprisonment, Even
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  if it meant what potential death.
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  Remember, there he was talking about Philippians.
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  One look, I might die. I don't know if I have this
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  tension. Should I go up?
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  It's far better, but if I stay, it's better for you.
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  So there there was rumors there, there was talk that he could
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  even be put to death. And the Christians who knew
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  about Paul's imprisonment said if he can go through that, if
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  he's willing to go there, surely we can.
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  Surely we can. If you just choose to stay and
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  to fight for your marriage in the spirit, who knows what kind
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  of hope you will give to other marriages that are struggling?
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  If you young person, listen to me.
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  I'm so glad to see so many young people here.
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  If you but choose to be pure in this defiled, disgusting,
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  distracted generation, perhaps your faith will shine.
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  And will be a way out for others who have been convinced that
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  compromise, degeneracy, lukewarmness, indifference is
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  the norm. Shock people.
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  What happens when something or someone so precious to you is
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  taken from you and yet you still choose to sing and yet you still
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  choose to serve the Lord? Surely God can take such a
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  faith. And use it as a supply of
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  strength for those who will face their own sorrows in their
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  tomorrows with their own song. So we see here that these men
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  followed the example of David and they slew their own giants.
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  Who knows what God can do with your faith?
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  Who knows what God can do with your devotion?
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  It might take some time, but it's worth it.
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  You may not know it immediately. But you can believe that that is
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  how contagious faith can be. Fear is contagious, but so is
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  faith. We always talk about how
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  contagious fear is. Let's talk about how contagious
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  faith is. Side note, David was a leader.
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  Be careful who you allowed to be a leader in your life.
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  Who do you sit? Under what kind of pastors do
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  you sit under? What kind of teaching do you
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  listen to? Because whether you realize it
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  or not, their level of faith will inspire you for the greater
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  or for the worse. This would be very, very
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  discerning. Be very, very careful.
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  Nobody's perfect. Understand that there is a level
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  of imitation that occurs when you willingly choose to make
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  someone a leader in your life. Saul, look what he did with his
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  men. He confused them.
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  They they were just it was a mess.
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  David wasn't perfect, but oh, did he have faith.
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  And that faith trickled down to those who said we want to follow
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  David Speaking of song. What's the substance of chapter
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  22? You look at it just from from a
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  face value perspective, and you can recognize that this is a
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  song, this is a hymn, this is, this is a Worshipful praise
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  that's being given unto the Lord, and it's confirmed here,
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  Verse one. And David spoke to the Lord the
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  words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from
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  the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
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  Chapter 22 is a song. And notice again that first word
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  and or the new King James Then now only is this song.
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  It is a song placed on the backdrop of giant killing
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  victories to teach us what there there seems to be again just
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  just see past that big #22 and that title that's been inserted
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  there. And if you just have the text,
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  you see a flow of thought in which the Spirit wants to convey
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  continuity. And so, right after this just
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  short tribute of these men killing giants, you come to this
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  song to to convey what that on the other side of radical
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  obedience, that on the other side of complete trust in the
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  Lord, especially in and through your trials, awaits a song so
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  powerful, so deep, so rich. An exuberant praise that will
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  burst forth from your bosom. That's what we see here, David,
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  rejoicing with the backdrop of all the victories that God has
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  brought him through. And I love to see that.
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  Proverbs 29 Six says that an evil man is ensnared in his
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  transgression. But a righteous man sings and
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  rejoices. A righteous man sings and
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  rejoices. What's the connection?
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  An evil man is ensnared in his transition, but a righteous man
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  sings and rejoices. It's very hard to sing when you
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  don't have a clear conscience. It's very hard to sing when
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  you're in bondage. It's very hard to sing when your
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  enemy not just not just people who are being used by Satan, the
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  sin, your flesh, the world and the philosophies of this world
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  and narratives and all the discouragements and the
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  allurements of this world. When those things have a hold on
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  you, it's very difficult to sing.
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  But when you are set free. Then you'll know how to sing.
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  Then you'll know a true song, as we're about to find out, you
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  know. But I looked at this and I
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  thought, there's more, there's more here.
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  People debate when this was written.
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  Most people agree that this is not chronological.
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  Some believe that this was written at a later.
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  Time or an earlier time rather. There's debate.
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  There's debate here. But one thing is for certain
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  that based on what we see in 21, based on what we see even in 22,
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  this is this is somewhere in the second part of David's life.
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  How do we know that? Because he wrote it when the
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  Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, all his
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  enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
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  So definitely post Saul, but all his enemies at some point David
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  knew a level of victory. He was able to pause and.
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  Reflect on God's faithfulness and then?
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  Rejoice in light of it. Now if you know your Bibles very
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  well, you will notice that this is not the only place where this
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  song is written. Does anybody else know where
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  almost a copy paste version is found in the Bible.
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  That's right, Psalm 18. It's almost.
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  Word for word. Psalm 18 Why?
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  Why did the Bible include the same song in two different
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  places? And here's what most people
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  believe, that Psalm 18 was actually written by David when
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  he was much younger. And then in Second Samuel 22,
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  you have David singing a song with minor adjustments in his
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  later years. You know what's so inspiring
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  about that? David is still be able to sing
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  with the same strength, the same depth, the same passion as he
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  did when he was first walking in the grace of God.
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  That tends not to be the experience of many professing
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  believers. It seems to to deflate over
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  time. What do I mean?
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  That their song is not as strong.
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  Their singing is not as exciting.
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  They lose that passion and that fierce faith.
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  You don't see that with David. David was able to sing with that
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  same type of faith and knowledge of God as when he first was
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  introduced to the fragrance of the Lord's power and mercy over
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  him. I want you to be able to say out
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  of this Bible study, I Lord, I want to be able to sing in my
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  final days, Not just in my former days, not just when I
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  started, but when I'm finishing. I want to be able to say it is
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  well with my soul. I want to be able to say how
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  great is our God. I want to be able to say he will
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  hold me fast because he has helped me fast.
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  You see this? This is a man singing a song.
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  Later in life, it's easy to sing when it's fresh, but for so many
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  it becomes normal and familiar and common.
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  And now it's just routine. You cannot read the song and
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  think that this journal entry is routine.
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  This is a man who has remained consistent.
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  Though he had ups and downs, his faith remained.
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  His faith remained. And oh Lord, would you help us
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  have that same end? So you see, it's a large, large
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  song. We're not going to be covering
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  verse by verse. We're going to pause in some
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  verses. We're going to read over others.
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  But let's look at this just skimming through and trusting
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  that we will still be blessed as we do.
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  So let's look at verse, Let's look at verse two.
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  He said, The Lord is my rock. My fortress and my deliver, my
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  God, my rock, and whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn
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  of my salvation. My stronghold and my refuge, my
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  Savior. You save me from violence.
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  It's difficult to move forward without looking.
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  At the great acknowledgement that David gives to the Lord,
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  the. Wealth of titles?
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  That he ascribes unto his God, Look at this rock.
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  Fortress, deliverer, shield, horn of my salvation.
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  Stronghold, Refuge, Savior, these are profound and you, you
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  almost get the sense that David is in in a in a good way,
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  frantically trying to express all that God is to him.
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  Lord, you're this and you're this and you're this and you're
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  this. You ever meet a young guy or
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  young gal who's who's madly in love with somebody else?
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  It's amazing how they become like Shakespeare, right?
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  They're just able to come up with things and.
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  They, they, they, they tried to put language to what's going on
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  in their hearts. And that's the impression that
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  you get here from David, who just starting off by adoring the
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  Lord and ascribing all these beautiful things, these titles
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  and these elements of who he is. That's profound.
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  But what's more precious to me is how David verbalizes and
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  communicates these ideas of God from personal experience.
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  Did he say the Lord is the rock, the fortress, the deliverer?
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  Did he say he's the shield? The horn of my what?
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  What is he saying? Is it the no, It's my big
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  difference between the two, big difference between the two.
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  And I'm afraid that many professing Christians are
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  content to live with the former perspective.
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  Many Christians are are are content and having an accurate
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  and maybe even a deep theological understanding and
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  framework of the nature and the character of God, but with no
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  testimony with it. Theology without testimony.
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  What a miserable state to be in. What a miserable state to be in,
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  To be able to say the but not be able to say my That's not God's
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  will. Theology, good theology, sound
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  doctrine is not an end in itself.
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  It's a means to an end. God doesn't want us to just
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  stuff our brains with truths and for us to be able to boast.
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  Look how sound we are. Look how.
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  Look how biblical we are. That's not God's intent.
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  It's for it to change you. For you to.
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  Taste it. Not just stuff it for you to be
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  able to say this is true of me. Not just true on a screen.
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  Big difference. And here's this man oozing out
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  glorious, specific, Profound Truths, but preciously ascribing
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  it. From a personal testimony.
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  How can one effectively pray? How can one effectively praise?
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  How can one effectively proclaim unless he can say with
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  confidence he saved me, He provided for.
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  Me. He protected me.
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  I don't want to refer to this example to the wrong person, but
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  there was an old preacher. Many hundreds of years ago who
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  when he trained his missionaries, would not allow
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  them to preach unless those missionaries were fully
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  convinced that they were forgiven for their sins.
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  Why go and tell people about what Christ has done in the
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  world if you can't be able to say and he's done it in me,
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  where's that authority And that doesn't even please God.
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  What if Paul saying Galatians 220 when he talked about Christ
• 23:12
  living in him, he ended it by saying who loved?
• 23:14
  What the world? Who?
• 23:17
  What loved the church? No.
• 23:18
  Who loved me and gave himself up?
• 23:22
  For who? The world?
• 23:23
  The church? No.
• 23:24
  Me again. Who loved me and gave himself up
• 23:28
  for me? There's personal, intimate
• 23:31
  implications. With these awesome truths that
• 23:34
  do apply to all men. But are meant.
• 23:37
  For you to be able to say it's true of me, my rock, my deliver,
• 23:44
  my fortress. Glorious.
• 23:48
  And then we see here in verse 4 the depth of his intimacy with
• 23:52
  the Lord. I call upon the Lord who is
• 23:55
  worthy to be. Praised and I am saved from my
• 23:58
  enemies. I call upon the Lord second part
• 24:04
  and I am saved from my enemies. Now wait a minute, we read at
• 24:08
  the end of verse of chapter 21 of Four Different Men.
• 24:13
  Who saved David? If you look at it from a human
• 24:16
  standpoint, 4 different men who came to his side.
• 24:19
  Four different men who rescued him.
• 24:22
  If you talk to a shallow person, they would be able to say David.
• 24:25
  It was Abhishay who saved you. David, it was Al Hanan who saved
• 24:29
  you. It was Sabakai who saved you.
• 24:32
  It was Jonathan, your relative, who saved you.
• 24:36
  And David would acknowledge that the Holy Spirit acknowledged
• 24:38
  that they were instruments. But you see, these men were not
• 24:41
  operating independently from God's provision and God's
• 24:44
  Providence. These men were the answers to
• 24:47
  David's. Prayers I call upon the Lord.
• 24:53
  I am safe from my enemies. Well, you and I just saw how he
• 24:56
  was safe from his enemies. What does that mean?
• 24:57
  It means that when God saved him, he used these men.
• 25:01
  You know, many of God's answers to our prayers are wrapped in
• 25:04
  flesh and blood. We just need the eyes to see it
• 25:09
  and not just the the Saint of your local church or the St. in
• 25:12
  your family. Was Abishai a St.
• 25:14
  Or did David have trouble with Abishai?
• 25:17
  He had trouble with Abishai. Are Ravens clean animals
• 25:21
  according to the libertical law? Are they dirty animals?
• 25:24
  They're unclean animals and God used them to feed his servant
• 25:27
  Elijah. God's resources are very
• 25:30
  colorful, very colorful. And he tends to prove to us that
• 25:39
  when he really wants to bless us and help us and come to our aid,
• 25:46
  he's never in need. He's never low on resources.
• 25:49
  He can even make your enemies help you.
• 25:53
  And so we see here that David recognized that although these
• 25:56
  men were faithful, were servants, they were an extension
• 26:01
  of God's mercy, and they were the answer.
• 26:04
  To his prayers. Now, before we move on, it's
• 26:07
  worth noting how prayer is mentioned in the song so early.
• 26:10
  Why? It's because prayer in a major
• 26:13
  way is the cause of this man's great praise.
• 26:17
  Do you see that? If we want to know greater
• 26:20
  praise from our hearts, then we must know how to 1st give
• 26:23
  ourselves to serious prayer on our knees.
• 26:29
  Praying people are people who know how to praise true praying
• 26:32
  people. And David could praise often
• 26:36
  because David prayed often, saying what's the connection?
• 26:40
  It's very easy apart from salvation, can you think of a
• 26:43
  greater stimulation, a greater motivation than Almighty God who
• 26:47
  inhabits the heavens answering your puny?
• 26:51
  Voice when you have a need that'll get you to church, and
• 26:56
  that will get you to sing no matter who else is not singing.
• 27:01
  And this is exactly what David is trying to communicate.
• 27:04
  He tells us even in the beginning of his song that I'm
• 27:08
  telling you why I'm singing. I called upon the Lord and he
• 27:13
  saved me. He saved me.
• 27:18
  And we might think, well, yeah, that's a Bible story and that's
• 27:21
  David. And he was a unique character.
• 27:22
  No, no, no. Give prayer a chance long
• 27:25
  enough, Be specific enough with your prayers and you will come
• 27:28
  to the same conclusion. In fact, David gives us exactly.
• 27:34
  What it is that? Happened when it came to God
• 27:37
  saving him. It says here, for the waves of
• 27:40
  death encompassed me. The torrents of destruction
• 27:42
  assailed me, the cords of shield.
• 27:44
  Entangled me. The snares of death confronted
• 27:47
  me. What is he trying to say?
• 27:49
  I'm. I'm surrounded.
• 27:50
  Like this is it. I'm at my end in my.
• 27:56
  Distress I called upon the Lord to my God.
• 28:00
  I called from his temple. He heard my voice and my cry
• 28:05
  came to his ears again, apart from the cross, me personally,
• 28:09
  maybe you would disagree. Is there anything more glorious
• 28:11
  than this? I can cry and heaven can hear
• 28:18
  me. I was just talking to somebody
• 28:21
  the other day. How?
• 28:22
  How amazing this idea of FaceTime is.
• 28:24
  I remember the days. I remember the days where dialup
• 28:28
  was the thing. And so you would go.
• 28:31
  And if you picked up the phone, you ruined the connection.
• 28:33
  Remember that horrible, torturous sound when you picked
• 28:36
  up the phone? Some of you remember that.
• 28:38
  And in such a short amount of time, I'm able to press a button
• 28:42
  and somebody across the world, I can see their face, they can
• 28:45
  show me the room, show me what's going on in that very moment.
• 28:50
  This is more impressive, Where the seraphim cannot look, Where
• 28:55
  the seraphim cover their feet. My voice can reach that very
• 28:58
  throne room. This is what he's saying.
• 29:01
  My cry came to his ears. Didn't come to an Angel?
• 29:06
  Then go? No, it came directly to God
• 29:08
  himself. And then he says what happens
• 29:13
  after that takes place. He says, then verse 8, then then
• 29:19
  as a result. Of my crying and my calling upon
• 29:22
  the Lord, let me tell you what happened.
• 29:24
  Then the earth reeled and rocked.
• 29:28
  The foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked because he
• 29:32
  was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils
• 29:36
  and devouring fire from his mouth.
• 29:38
  Glowing coals flamed forth from him.
• 29:41
  He bowed the heavens and came down thick.
• 29:43
  Darkness was under his feet. I'm not going to keep reading,
• 29:47
  but you get the idea. This is rich in imagery.
• 29:52
  This is metaphorical, obviously, but there's a message behind it.
• 29:58
  Look back at verse 8. Then the earth reeled and rocked
• 30:01
  the foundations of the heavens trembled and quake because he
• 30:04
  was angry. He heard my cry, came to his
• 30:06
  ears. And this is what happened.
• 30:07
  And can I give you a modern translation?
• 30:09
  A verse, A verse 9 rather verse eight.
• 30:13
  God moved heaven and earth to answer my cry.
• 30:19
  God moved heaven and earth. To come to my aid.
• 30:29
  In fact, he goes on to describe, as I just said in great length,
• 30:33
  how it is that the Lord came to him.
• 30:36
  Look again at verse 11. I stopped.
• 30:37
  At verse 10 He rode on a cherub and flew.
• 30:41
  He was seen on the wings of the wind.
• 30:44
  Translation, the swiftness of God, the quickness of God, the
• 30:49
  promptness of God, the willingness of God.
• 30:51
  The moment he heard my voice, he got on a chair and he came down.
• 30:56
  He flew to me. Didn't walk.
• 30:59
  Didn't pace. He flew to my aid.
• 31:03
  And what that means is that God is not reluctant to hear your
• 31:05
  prayers. God is not hesitant.
• 31:08
  God is not too busy. God does not put you on pause
• 31:12
  because he's overwhelmed with everything else that's happening
• 31:15
  in China and Australia and Africa.
• 31:18
  According to the need, he will move in perfect accordance to
• 31:22
  meet it. He's never late.
• 31:25
  He never delays. He's never annoyed.
• 31:28
  He is swift. He will fly to come to your
• 31:32
  assistance. That's what David is conveying.
• 31:35
  He came at the right time. He's like a father that hears
• 31:38
  his child outside playing and that child falls.
• 31:41
  And when he cries, he drops everything to stoop down and to
• 31:45
  wrap his arms around me to bring me into his safety.
• 31:50
  That's very hard for us to say Amen to because we don't sense
• 31:52
  that in our prayers, right? We just get silence most of the
• 31:55
  time. Think about David's experience.
• 31:58
  Not every single time he prayed, God came through.
• 32:00
  He spent many, many years in the wilderness.
• 32:02
  What David is saying is I have cried out to the Lord and he's
• 32:06
  always come at the right time. That's the point.
• 32:08
  He's always come at the right time.
• 32:11
  And we see other verses. Look down at verse 17, he sent
• 32:14
  from on high, he took. Me.
• 32:16
  He drew me out of many waters. Remember, this is David,
• 32:20
  reflecting on what has been done in the past many waters.
• 32:23
  I've almost drowned many times. And God has never failed to pick
• 32:27
  me up and to rescue me. He rescued me for my strong
• 32:31
  enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
• 32:33
  They confronted me in the day of my calamity.
• 32:35
  But the Lord was my support. But the Lord was my support.
• 32:41
  What a song to be able to sing near the end of your life.
• 32:44
  And I get it. You might be discouraged more
• 32:46
  than encouraged because again, OK, this is Bible study.
• 32:48
  This is a sermon. It's motivational.
• 32:50
  I'll give you that. But this is David.
• 32:51
  He had a special covenant with the Lord and everlasting
• 32:54
  covenant. It's obvious why God was sparing
• 32:56
  him and giving him so much grace.
• 33:01
  I work at 9:00 to 5:00. I'm trying to pay my bills.
• 33:04
  I barely make it to church. This Bible said it doesn't
• 33:08
  really help. It's inspirational, but it's not
• 33:09
  very practical. And I would say, hold on, Don't
• 33:12
  let your thoughts and your doubts swallow you yet, because
• 33:16
  this is not the only song that David has written.
• 33:19
  This is not the only song. It's not the only song that the
• 33:21
  Holy Spirit used David to pen. Can I show you another one?
• 33:25
  That will give you the hope that you need to look at this Psalm
• 33:28
  in another way? Go to Psalm 145 in your Bibles
• 33:31
  quickly and look here at verse 18.
• 33:33
  This is David still and notice what David says.
• 33:36
  And Psalm 145 verse 18. You've heard it.
• 33:39
  Over and over I called. I cried in my distress.
• 33:45
  He heard my voice. That's you, David.
• 33:51
  What about me? Well, here's David.
• 33:54
  By the Spirit, Psalm 14518, the Lord is near to all who call on
• 34:02
  him. Not some, not a few, not the
• 34:06
  special supernatural super Saints.
• 34:09
  The Lord is near to all who call on Him.
• 34:14
  Here's the first condition to all who call on him in truth.
• 34:21
  He fulfills the desire of those who.
• 34:23
  Here's a second condition. Who fears him?
• 34:27
  He also hears their cry and saves them.
• 34:32
  How can I know the support that David is known?
• 34:35
  How can I be assured that my cry can reach the ears of Almighty
• 34:38
  God? Two things Call on him in truth
• 34:43
  and walk in the fear of the Lord.
• 34:46
  Call on him in truth. Be sincere.
• 34:47
  Don't let your mouth contradict your heart.
• 34:50
  Don't hide anything from God. Walk in the light, and also fear
• 34:56
  him to give him the reverence in the awe that he deserves.
• 34:59
  Ascribe unto him the worth that he alone deserves.
• 35:05
  And when these two simple conditions are met, then we will
• 35:08
  know what David is known God's ear at all times.
• 35:13
  And this is what's fascinating, because you see here and back in
• 35:16
  our main song and verse 42 of Second Samuel 22.
• 35:19
  When describing and condemning his enemies, David says of them
• 35:24
  They looked, but there was none to say.
• 35:25
  They cried to Hoobaal Molech. No, they cried to the Lord.
• 35:31
  But he did not answer them. They cried to the Lord, and he
• 35:35
  did not answer them. Why?
• 35:37
  Because they did not call him. In truth they did not fear him.
• 35:40
  They were trying to kill the Anointed One.
• 35:42
  They were living in contradiction to God's desire
• 35:44
  and will, and they thought that they had the right to call upon
• 35:47
  the Lord. There says no way.
• 35:50
  You know, people mock prayer, but it's amazing how many
• 35:52
  heathen are willing to pray when when the temperature is right.
• 35:57
  I saw a clip not too long ago of the World Trade Center.
• 36:02
  Some of the the footage of the planes of of pedestrians, people
• 36:07
  walk down the streets who had their cameras and just the
• 36:09
  different angles of the the the planes flying into the towers.
• 36:13
  And what struck me as much as that footage was just
• 36:16
  unbelievable. What struck me was the the
• 36:20
  shrieks and the cries of the people who witnessed it.
• 36:23
  And you know what was the common cry?
• 36:27
  Oh my God, oh Lord, have mercy. That's what people were saying
• 36:33
  over and over again. And between those cries were
• 36:36
  just pure shrieks. Oh my God, Lord, have mercy.
• 36:42
  Lord have mercy. There's something in us that is
• 36:49
  aware that there is something transcendent above us.
• 36:53
  And even the heat then have a knowledge, though they try to
• 36:54
  suppress it when they're squeezed just right.
• 36:58
  It's amazing what peaks up. It's amazing what they squeal
• 37:03
  the heat in here. They cried to the Lord, but He
• 37:05
  did not answer them. Not that he's willing, not
• 37:07
  willing to forgive them. But you can't have your sin and
• 37:10
  have the support of the Lord at the same time.
• 37:12
  You can't. These are the conditions that
• 37:15
  David lays out, and you can say that David indirectly alludes to
• 37:17
  those conditions in the second-half of this song.
• 37:21
  Let's come down here back to Second Samuel.
• 37:22
  Let's look at verse 21. David says something quite
• 37:25
  amazing here that actually has caused people to be.
• 37:30
  Stumbled in some way. 21 The Lord dealt with me according to
• 37:33
  my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands.
• 37:37
  He rewarded me, for I have kept the ways of the Lord, and I've
• 37:40
  not wickedly departed from my God.
• 37:42
  For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did
• 37:46
  not turn aside. I was blameless before him, and
• 37:48
  I kept myself from guilt. And the Lord has rewarded me
• 37:52
  according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His
• 37:56
  sight. Anybody concerned with David's
• 38:01
  words here, you've been with us, especially in Second Samuel,
• 38:08
  these collection of verses. Have led people to believe that
• 38:12
  when David wrote this song, when do you think they believe he
• 38:15
  wrote it? Yeah, before Bathsheba, before
• 38:21
  Uriah. It's very difficult to reconcile
• 38:25
  David's confidence. With his major moral failure,
• 38:30
  how? How can you say that after what
• 38:32
  you've done? And some people don't even go
• 38:37
  that far with their thinking. They just are disturbed with
• 38:40
  what he's saying altogether. Why would you say this in a
• 38:44
  song? Can you imagine all of us
• 38:47
  singing on Sunday morning? The Lord has rewarded me
• 38:48
  according to my righteousness. My hands are clean.
• 38:52
  I for us many people that think this is fair, seical, we don't
• 38:56
  talk about our righteousness and we don't talk about our
• 38:58
  holiness. And that's the impression that
• 39:00
  you get that David seems to be saying, I have this divine favor
• 39:03
  because I've been a good boy. And I've been walking in
• 39:07
  obedience, and so I have God's face shining upon me.
• 39:11
  And the way the remedy from any confusion or misinterpretation
• 39:15
  is 1 discipline that we cannot forget.
• 39:18
  It's the discipline of looking at the context.
• 39:21
  Let's look at the context. Consider why David is saying
• 39:25
  this at this point, and what the song is really all about.
• 39:27
  What is the song about? It's a song of deliverance.
• 39:30
  Deliverance from who? His enemies?
• 39:33
  How God has rescued him from his foes.
• 39:37
  And this makes more sense now when we consider why he's saying
• 39:40
  this, with the surrounding ideas of him being surrounded by evil
• 39:45
  people who want to attack him, who want to kill him, who speak
• 39:49
  lies about him. Why is he saying this?
• 39:52
  Because he's trying to communicate that the
• 39:54
  righteousness and the cleanness of my hands is in relation to my
• 39:57
  dealings. With these people, this is not
• 40:04
  David. Going on a different train of
• 40:07
  thought and talking about how awesome he is and how he has
• 40:09
  gained eternal life because of his good works.
• 40:12
  You get that idea when you pull these verses out of the context,
• 40:15
  but when you honor the surrounding, what you see David
• 40:17
  doing here in his prayer, in his song, he's appealing to a clear
• 40:21
  conscience without a cause. They are hating me.
• 40:27
  My enemies want to kill me. They want to surround me.
• 40:31
  They want to devour me. But I didn't do anything.
• 40:34
  I desire peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
• 40:39
  So what David is doing is in the context of his dealing with
• 40:43
  these people. He is confessing to God.
• 40:47
  I'm in the right in this as long as my conscience bears witness.
• 40:51
  There is nothing that I know that I have done that would
• 40:54
  cause me to be in the wrong in this situation, that would
• 40:56
  invoke and provoke them to treat me in this way.
• 41:01
  So that's what we see here. This is not a man talking about
• 41:04
  how his standard of righteousness has won God's
• 41:08
  eternal life. Or it's just him saying in this
• 41:11
  situation I'm blameless in this predicament, I don't see how I'm
• 41:17
  guilty. And David's word here does
• 41:21
  highlights whether you like it or not.
• 41:24
  It highlights how your behavior and mine can actually influence
• 41:28
  how we experience God's blessing.
• 41:31
  Not how we receive His His grace for everlasting life, but how we
• 41:35
  experience God in our life. I know you've been told
• 41:38
  something else, probably right. No matter what you do, God will
• 41:41
  do this for you. Go.
• 41:42
  No, that's not true. No, you can't do whatever you
• 41:44
  want to do and expect God to bless you in the same way.
• 41:47
  No, I don't know where you got that from, but stick it back in
• 41:51
  the the cookie and send it away, right?
• 41:56
  That's fortune cookie theology. What we see here is that David
• 42:00
  is is proving that there is a principle.
• 42:04
  If I live in a certain way, if I act in a certain way, then I can
• 42:08
  expect God to treat me in a certain way, and that's what he
• 42:12
  confirms in verse 26. With the merciful you show
• 42:14
  yourself merciful. With the blameless man, you show
• 42:17
  yourself blameless. With the purified you deal
• 42:21
  purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem torturous.
• 42:28
  What was David's conviction throughout his exile, when Saul
• 42:32
  was alive, he continued to show mercy.
• 42:36
  Mercy, Mercy. Mercy, Mercy.
• 42:39
  You know what's so fascinating? I'm persuaded that when David
• 42:42
  had that one season where he was among the Philistines, you
• 42:46
  remember that when he was so discouraged, he said, Saul's
• 42:48
  going to kill me. I'm one step away from death.
• 42:50
  I'm going among the Philistines. He'll stop bothering me then.
• 42:52
  Remember that. And it led him to all these
• 42:53
  issues and how God still was able to pull him out of that and
• 42:56
  bring it back to where he was supposed to be.
• 42:58
  I believe in great part how God did that was because God
• 43:02
  remembered how merciful David was, and remembering how
• 43:06
  merciful David was, God chose to be merciful to him.
• 43:10
  Look, just let's just talk plainly here with the merciful.
• 43:14
  You show yourself merciful how I treat other people.
• 43:21
  Am I ready to receive that same treatment from God?
• 43:25
  There is a mercy that you and I no matter what we've done, God
• 43:27
  is still willing to dispense it on our lives.
• 43:29
  That's the cross. But in practical daytoday life,
• 43:33
  imagine that this this is a divine administration.
• 43:37
  In God's universe. With the merciful, you show
• 43:38
  yourself merciful. With the blameless, you show
• 43:40
  yourself blameless. With the crooked, you make
• 43:42
  yourself seem torturous. Lord, please when I am offended.
• 43:54
  Help me remember this. When somebody has wronged me,
• 43:59
  help me remember this rule, no matter how bad it's been in your
• 44:04
  life. I've never sat in the counseling
• 44:05
  session, maybe once where somebody said somebody wants to
• 44:08
  try to, somebody wants to try to kill me.
• 44:13
  I don't. I don't.
• 44:14
  I don't think that's the norm. Right.
• 44:15
  Nobody in here has ever had their fatherinlaw chase them
• 44:18
  around Chicago and try to kill them, right?
• 44:20
  Maybe. Maybe you don't want to say it.
• 44:21
  That's OK. Yeah, David could still be
• 44:24
  merciful to such a man, and he experienced God's mercy as a
• 44:30
  result. God looks at how we treat people
• 44:32
  even in their sin, and he considers it.
• 44:39
  There's so much more to say, but just Scroll down here in verse
• 44:43
  31. Can you imagine?
• 44:45
  We're just a. Little bit over.
• 44:46
  Half of this Psalm, the song This God.
• 44:52
  His way is perfect. The word of the Lord proves
• 44:57
  true. He is a shield for all those who
• 45:01
  take refuge in him. What a statement.
• 45:03
  This God, His way is perfect. Remember, this is David
• 45:07
  reflecting. This is David pausing and
• 45:12
  pondering after all that he's been through now in his old age
• 45:15
  and. And you've been here every week.
• 45:17
  You know what he's been through in caves.
• 45:21
  Betrayed, lied about people, attempted to assassinate him,
• 45:29
  family, fractured relationship, all this mess, all this delay.
• 45:34
  I mean, it looked like he was about to become king of Israel.
• 45:36
  Then there's another delay, and then it comes again.
• 45:39
  And then all these problems. And yet in hindsight, he could
• 45:43
  confidently say. Oh, his way is perfect.
• 45:48
  His way is perfect. Hey, honestly, if I looked at
• 45:50
  that, I wouldn't consider that perfection.
• 45:54
  I would avoid some of those potholes.
• 45:55
  I would fill some of those up. Less ups and downs and more ups.
• 46:00
  And yet David by the Spirit says no, no, you don't understand.
• 46:03
  The way God has led me was absolutely necessary.
• 46:08
  I wouldn't want to. When you're saying it's perfect,
• 46:10
  what he's saying is there is no other way I would want to have
• 46:13
  it. And usually such a confession
• 46:16
  comes at the end of the tunnel. But the Holy Spirit has given it
• 46:22
  to us here so that you can say it while you're in the dark.
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  If it was true for David, it's true for you now.
• 46:29
  You don't have to wait to be able to say it.
• 46:31
  You could say it right when you're beginning to feel the
• 46:34
  pressure, the persecution, the trials, the test, You can say
• 46:38
  with a smile with your chest out and your shoulders back.
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  This God His way is perfect. Bring it on.
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  The word of the Lord proves true.
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  He's a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
• 46:59
  He comes down here and I'm going to end this with a couple more
• 47:04
  thoughts. Just one thing after the next,
• 47:07
  talking about what he's done for him.
• 47:10
  He made my feet like the feet of a deer.
• 47:12
  Verse 34. He set me secure on the heights.
• 47:14
  He trains my hands for war. So that my arms can bend.
• 47:17
  A bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of
• 47:19
  your salvation. I love this phrase.
• 47:21
  Your gentleness made me great. The gentleness of God you read
• 47:28
  back. I mean gentleness.
• 47:30
  Smoke coming out of your nostrils.
• 47:31
  Mountain shaking arrows being shot at your enemies.
• 47:34
  Gentleness, gentleness for his children, gentleness for his
• 47:42
  children. It's another story for those
• 47:44
  who. Persist to be his enemies.
• 47:47
  You gave a wide place for my steps.
• 47:49
  Under me. My feet did not slip.
• 47:52
  Verse 40. You equipped me with strength
• 47:54
  for the battle. You made Those who rise against
• 47:57
  me sink under me verse. 47 The Lord lives.
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  The Lord lives. He's alive.
• 48:08
  And I can prove it to you. Look at my look at the giants.
• 48:11
  Look at all the things that he's taken care of.
• 48:13
  He's alive. And blessed be my rock, and
• 48:17
  exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.
• 48:20
  I notice here what he says in verse 50.
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  For this I will praise you, O Lord, this is so fascinating
• 48:27
  among the nations, and sing praises to your name, among the
• 48:34
  nations, you would think you would say among the great
• 48:36
  congregation. He said that in Psalm 40.
• 48:38
  But he's not speaking about his own people, he's speaking about
• 48:41
  the neighboring nations. I will sing among them.
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  You know what he's saying, Lord, how you have worked in my life
• 48:52
  has given me the conviction to not make my praise private, to
• 48:58
  not shy away when I'm in the presence of the heathen, but to
• 49:02
  be willingly. Oh Lord, I even asked for the
• 49:05
  opportunity to be among the Gentiles and to be able to sing
• 49:10
  your praise, even though I may sing alone.
• 49:16
  You know, you and I have opportunities to do that in our
• 49:18
  own lives in different ways. Give me some ideas of how you
• 49:20
  and I can actually honor God among the nations.
• 49:25
  I'm not even looking for, like these magnificent ideas.
• 49:28
  Just very simple ways. I have one in mind when you go
• 49:34
  out with your family to that restaurant after Sunday service,
• 49:38
  when you're out there with your friends.
• 49:41
  Some place that you heard about and you're excited to taste.
• 49:43
  What can you do there among the nations?
• 49:48
  Lord, we thank you for this food and we just want to tell you
• 49:52
  that you are the reason why we get to enjoy these beautiful
• 49:54
  gifts. All the sights, all the tastes.
• 49:57
  This comes from you. We want to pause and give you
• 50:00
  glory for it. In Jesus name we pray.
• 50:02
  Amen. Amen.
• 50:06
  I'll praise you among the nations.
• 50:10
  Don't miss those opportunities. I've sat with Christians over
• 50:12
  the years. I know they're hungry.
• 50:13
  I know the service was long and just.
• 50:15
  They just go right into it. You're missing an awesome
• 50:17
  opportunity to praise among the nations.
• 50:21
  It's subtle, right? And it should be something like
• 50:23
  out of like David, his heart wanting to give on, not in a.
• 50:26
  Not in a. Legalistic way.
• 50:27
  Not in a showy way, in a genuine way.
• 50:32
  May the Lord give us wisdom to know how to do that.
• 50:33
  But you know what's so fascinating?
• 50:36
  Paul quotes this very verse. To make a different point, does
• 50:45
  anybody know, because this is found also in Psalm 18, what
• 50:50
  text in the New Testament points to this reference?
• 50:54
  Any idea, think, any idea? Well, if you don't know, it
• 51:14
  starts with the letter R Anybody know now?
• 51:19
  The book of romance. Romance, Chapter 15.
• 51:23
  I want you to see this with your own eyes and we'll close here.
• 51:29
  I'm not surprised that after such a lengthy song for there to
• 51:33
  be found a prophecy of some sort.
• 51:39
  Romans 15, verse 8. Let's go to verse 8.
• 51:41
  Paul speaking to these Christians.
• 51:43
  You know what's happening with these Christians.
• 51:44
  There's division among them because some have the conviction
• 51:47
  of certain foods being healthy and holy, and others say, hey,
• 51:50
  it doesn't matter, we're free in Christ.
• 51:52
  Some people believe some days are holy, others say no.
• 51:55
  These days are necessarily to be sacred, and there's divisions,
• 51:58
  and that division obviously is somewhat known among the
• 52:01
  Gentiles and the. Jews who are in the same church.
• 52:04
  And so Paul wants to exhort them.
• 52:05
  And he says, for I tell you that Christ became a servant.
• 52:08
  To the circumcised, to show God's truthfulness, in order to
• 52:12
  confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order
• 52:15
  that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.
• 52:19
  As it is written, therefore, I will praise.
• 52:22
  You among the Gentiles, and sing to your name, and sing to your
• 52:29
  name. In David's context, in Second
• 52:34
  Samuel 22 and Psalm 18, when he sings, when he says I will sing
• 52:37
  to you among the nations, what he's saying is I will
• 52:40
  unashamedly testify of you. I will sing in the presence of
• 52:44
  the Pagans. I have No Fear, You are worthy.
• 52:47
  You've been so good to me. Paul takes that by the Spirit
• 52:50
  because he has that authority and he has a different.
• 52:52
  Bent on it. He's speaking to this church
• 52:55
  that is experiencing division among themselves, namely Jew and
• 52:58
  Gentile, and he goes to this verse to say.
• 53:01
  Do you realize that in God's mind, hundreds of years ago, he
• 53:06
  had it in his heart that you would have Jew and Gentile
• 53:11
  singing together? So in David's setting, it's
• 53:17
  singing to the nation's. Paul takes that verse by the
• 53:20
  Spirit and he says it's not to the Gentiles, it's with the
• 53:24
  Gentiles. And he's trying to hammer this
• 53:27
  point. God wants you to be unified.
• 53:31
  You know, one of the ways that we can proclaim our unity
• 53:33
  displayed is when you and I come together and sing.
• 53:36
  I ever thought about that? I'm just thinking about it now.
• 53:41
  I mean, one of the ways that we express our express our unity as
• 53:44
  a nation. We have an anthem, we have these
• 53:49
  slogans, we have these chants, we have these phrases.
• 53:51
  They, they color, they put some, they put some glue to what it is
• 53:56
  that we have as convictions in our hearts.
• 53:58
  And when we see this text, what I see here is that God in his
• 54:01
  heart did not just have it in mind that we would all
• 54:04
  experience forgiveness, that is true.
• 54:06
  But through that forgiveness, through that salvation, we would
• 54:09
  come together and sing. There is something very ancient
• 54:13
  that's happening every time you and I gather here and express
• 54:15
  ourselves in worship and praise. Therefore I will praise you
• 54:21
  among the Gentiles and sing to your name.
• 54:27
  I said I was done, but one more thing.
• 54:34
  Go back to chapter 22, verse one.
• 54:38
  Do you know where I get my permission to that pastor Daniel
• 54:44
  Benna and Philippians, Paul says finally in chapter 3.
• 54:51
  And he had much more to say. So when you hear preacher say,
• 54:54
  I'm almost done, they're following the steps of the
• 54:57
  apostle Paul, all right. And he said, follow me as I
• 55:01
  follow Christ. Second Samuel 22, verse one.
• 55:05
  And David spoke to the Lord the words of the song when on the
• 55:14
  day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all of his
• 55:18
  enemies and from the hand of Saul.
• 55:22
  It's amazing how the spirit doesn't put Saul under the
• 55:25
  category of enemies. It's fascinating.
• 55:28
  But what's interesting, too, is that it says on the day David
• 55:35
  was not only not forgetful, not negligent and giving God
• 55:42
  heartfelt, mindful gratitude, he saw it with delightful urgency.
• 55:52
  Praise, in David's mind, was an absolute priority.
• 55:57
  Especially when God has come through in one way or another on
• 56:01
  the day. If you want to know one way to
• 56:04
  please the heart of God, well, Christ does it for us.
• 56:08
  I know positionally that's true. That's wonderful.
• 56:11
  We can rest in that. But if you want your life to
• 56:15
  bless God, one of the ways you can be assured that this can
• 56:20
  happen is by giving him thanks. And with the urgency that you
• 56:28
  might have had and pleading with the Lord and petitioning with
• 56:30
  the Lord and seeking the Lord when that answer comes, when you
• 56:34
  see some sort of relief, you know what blesses him when
• 56:37
  you're just as urgent, and giving him glory for it.
• 56:42
  I see that with Jesus and Luke 1717 there was 10 lepers.
• 56:46
  They were all healed. One came back and Jesus asked in
• 56:50
  that verse, where are the others?
• 56:53
  Is it only this foreigner who has come back to praise God,
• 56:55
  It's a picture of the Gentiles. Yes, I get it, coming to the
• 56:57
  fold and the Jews not seeing the mercy of Jesus and who he is.
• 57:02
  But there's practical implications only one after what
• 57:07
  I've done. And so I see from that text in
• 57:10
  Luke 17 that what blesses the Lord is when I intentionally,
• 57:16
  when I I shake off all the other things that would try to hinder
• 57:20
  me from being grateful. And I say, Lord, thank you,
• 57:26
  David. Didn't wait another day.
• 57:27
  On that day, what was it? A specific moment?
• 57:29
  We don't know. But when the revelation of God's
• 57:31
  deliverance from all his enemies fell upon him, what came from
• 57:36
  him was what you read here. I want that.
• 57:42
  Not just now, at this point of my life.
• 57:44
  I want that when I am old and weary, like David was.
• 57:51
  Can we ask God to give it to all of us?
• 57:54
  He will surely help us. Lord, thank you for this Bible
• 58:05
  study. Thank you for the simple nudges
• 58:10
  of the simplicity of our faith. Lord, we are aware that there's
• 58:15
  so much more that you have to say through this chapter, but
• 58:20
  what we heard. Suffices for us to stop and to
• 58:25
  apply what we just learned. Thank you, oh Lord.
• 58:31
  Thank you for your goodness. We can declare by faith this God
• 58:38
  His way is perfect. And Lord, though we may not
• 58:42
  fully realize how you will pull us away from all the waters that
• 58:46
  seem to be pulling us in, you've reminded us.
• 58:51
  That all who call upon him in truth, and all who fear him, you
• 58:54
  will hear and you will deliver. Help us love you, fear you,
• 59:01
  honor you, Help us believe even now that our cries to you,
• 59:07
  whether they are silent or whether they are heard by
• 59:09
  others, they they reach your ears.
• 59:15
  And when the appointed time comes, you will swiftly come.
• 59:20
  Fly in our direction. You will in your mysterious
• 59:24
  Providence, raise up Abish eyes and use people that we might
• 59:28
  have known for years to extend your grace in our lives.
• 59:32
  Help us see when you answer a prayer.
• 59:35
  Help us recognize when you come through.
• 59:38
  Help us not miss it. God, we thank you for this
• 59:43
  family. And we pray that we would honor
• 59:46
  you for what you had in mind many, many, many, many years
• 59:49
  ago. That people from different
• 59:51
  backgrounds, different nations, different tribes and tongues
• 59:54
  coming together to sing of a common salvation, To sing the
• 1:00:00
  Lord lives. Or we give you honor tonight.
• 1:00:02
  In Jesus name. Amen.
• 1:00:04
  Amen. Well, shall we do that?
• 1:00:06
  Shall we do that? Shall we fulfill an ancient
• 1:00:10
  prophecy? That the most unlikely people
• 1:00:15
  would come on a Friday night because they actually enjoy
• 1:00:19
  singing to an invisible God, but who is ever present still.
• 1:00:27
  Yes, indeed, the Lord is worthy. Let's do that.