BIG IDEA:
THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE WILL PUT THE WICKED IN THEIR PLACE
I. (:1-2) THE RIGHTEOUS REJOICE WHEN THE WICKED
ARE FINALLY JUDGED
A. Give Thanks wholeheartedly
“I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart”
B. Testify to God’s wonders
“I will tell of all Thy wonders”
C. Rejoice
“I will be glad and exult in Thee”
D. Sing Praises
“I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High”
II. (:3-6) THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE WIPES OUT THE WICKED
A. The Place and Role of the Righteous Judge
1. sitting on the throne (no doubt about the outcome)
2. judging righteously
3. vindicating the just
4. destroying the wicked
B. The Place and Destiny of the Wicked
1. they turn back
2. they stumble and perish
3. they are rebuked
4. they are destroyed
5. their name is blotted out
6. they come to an end in perpetual ruin
7. their cities are uprooted
8. the very memory of them has perished
III. (:7-10) THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE SHELTERS BELIEVERS
A. He can shelter believers because He Abides Forever
“But the Lord abides forever”
B. He can shelter believers because He Judges in Righteousness
“He has established His throne for judgment,
And He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.”.
C. He is a Stronghold
“for the oppressed”
“in time of trouble”
D. He will Never Forsake Believers
“For Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee.”
E. Our Responsibility
Trust Him
Seek Him
IV. (:11-16) PRAISE TO THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE FOR:
DELIVERING THE AFFLICTED
GIVING THE WICKED WHAT THEY DESERVE
A. (:11) Our Response = Praise to the Righteous Judge
1. Praise
“Sing praise to the Lord, who dwells in Zion”
2. Testimony
“Declare among the peoples His deeds.”
B. (:12-14) For Delivering the Afflicted
1. He remembers their plight
“For He who requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.”
“Behold my affliction from those who hate me”
2. He is gracious to deliver from our enemies
“Be gracious to me, O Lord”
“Thou dost lift me up from the gates of death”
3. We need to praise Him and give testimony
“That I may tell of all Thy praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in Thy salvation.”
C. (:15-16) For Giving the Wicked What They Deserve
1. Trapped in Their Own Traps
“The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.”
2. It is the Lord’s Doing
“The Lord has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment..In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.”
V. (:17-20) SUMMARY
A. (:17) Destiny of the Wicked = Forgotten in Sheol
“The wicked will return to Sheol,
Even all the nations who forget God.”
B. (:18) Destiny of the Afflicted = Remembered by God
“For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.”
C. (:19-20) Final Call for the Lord to Put the Wicked in Their Place
“Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged before Thee.
Put them in fear, O Lord;
Let the nations know that they are but men.”
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) What are some of the “wonders” to which David could testify? What are some of the special things that the Lord has done for us?
2) Think of all the things that we do to create “special memories” – take pictures and
videos, establish family traditions, compile scrapbooks, record in journals and diaries,
etc. – How tragic will it be for the very memory of the wicked to perish?
3) How can we encourage our faith in the Lord’s ability to shelter His own and protect us from being wiped out by oppressors? How can we better focus our hope on the Lord’s ability to cause us to endure to the end and be saved?
4) Think of the phrase: “What goes around comes around” Or think of the Golden Rule. Note how often in the psalms the wicked are judged by receiving upon
themselves the evils they had plotted for others.
Download the entire Psalms commentary in pdf format
(including notes on each psalm from other commentators)
from:
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