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ADVANCED Bible Study

STAND STRONG: BUILDING YOUR LIFE ON GOD’S PROMISES

GAME CHANGER: HOW TO IMPACT YOUR WORLD

Fall 2015

H O W T O B E C O M E A C H R I S T I A N

JesusJesus Christ was with God the Father before the world was created. He became human and lived among humanity as Jesus of Nazareth. He came to show us what God the Father is like. He lived a sinless life, showing us how to live; and He died on a cross to pay for our sins. God raised Him from the dead.

Jesus is the source of eternal life. He is the doorway to new life. In the Bible He was called “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). In the Old Testament, sacrifices were made for the sins of the people. Jesus became the sacrificial lamb offered for your sin.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He is waiting for you now.

> Admit to God that you are a sinner. Repent, turning away from your sin. > By faith receive Jesus Christ as God’s Son and accept Jesus’ gift of forgive-ness from sin. He took the penalty for your sin by dying on the cross.

> Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

You may pray a prayer similar to this as you call on God to save you: Dear God, I know that You love me. I confess my sin and need of salvation. I turn away from my sin and place my faith in Jesus as my Savior and Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

After you have received Jesus Christ into your life, tell a pastor or another Christian about your decision. Show others your faith in Christ by asking for baptism by immersion in your local church as a public expression of your faith.



Fall 2015

ADVANCED Bible Study Commentary


Suggested use date

September 6 Session 1 God’s Promise of Faithfulness 9 Psalm 89:1-2,5-8,15-18

September 13 Session 2 God’s Promise of Eternal Life 18 1 John 5:6-13

EVANGELISM SESSION

September 20 Session 3 God’s Promise of Provision 27 Psalm 34:4-14

September 27 Session 4 God’s Promise of Answered Prayer 36 Luke 11:5-13

October 4 Session 5 God’s Promise of Victory 46 Romans 8:28-39

October 11 Session 6 God’s Promise of a New Home 56 Revelation 21:1-8

Coming Next QuarterPriceless: Finding Your Value in God—Where do we find our value? In

most circles, our sense of value is derived from a person’s heritage, back-ground, wealth, looks, or position. God has a whole different standard for determining our value. Because God loves us immeasurably, we are price-less in His eyes.

Distinct: Living Above the Norm—In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus defined what it means to live in His kingdom and how we are to live in relationship to others. The distinct lifestyle of the Christian, as laid out in Matthew 5, goes against the flow of the world, but it is a distinct lifestyle going in the right direction.

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October 18 Session 7 Develop Conviction 67 Daniel 1:3-5,8-13,17-19

October 25 Session 8 Pray Fervently 77 Daniel 2:13-21,26-28a

November 1 Session 9 Stand Courageously 87 Daniel 3:13-18,26-28

November 8 Session 10 Live Humbly 98 Daniel 4:28-35

November 15 Session 11 Confront Sin 109 Daniel 5:17-28

November 22 Session 12 Act Faithfully 119 Daniel 6:6-10,13-16,19-22

SPECIAL FOCUS SESSION

November 29 Session 13 When Opposition Strikes 129 Acts 4:23-31

Cover Image: Istock Photo

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ADVANCED Bible Study Commentary

BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFEThe Advanced Bible Study Commentary

FALL 2015Volume 10, Number 1

ERIC GEIGERVice President, Church Resources

RONNIE FLOYDGeneral Editor

LYNN H. PRYORTeam Leader

ROSS H. McLARENContent Editor

KEN BRADDYManager, Adult Ongoing Bible Studies

MICHAEL KELLEYDirector, Groups Ministry

Send questions/comments to:Editor, Advanced Commentary

One LifeWay PlazaNashville, TN 37234-0175

Or make comments on the Web atwww.lifeway.com

Acknowledgments—We believe the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWay’s doctrinal guideline, please visit www.lifeway.com/doctrinal guideline.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quota-tions are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permis-sion. Quotations marked ESV are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. Passages marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Passages marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. © The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. Quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. Quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982. Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers. Reprinted with permission. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Advanced Bible Study Commentary® (ISSN 2330-9423; Item 005075005) is published quarterly by LifeWay, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom Rainer, President. © Copyright 2015 LifeWay.

For ordering or inquiries visit www.lifeway.com, or write LifeWay Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription address changes e-mail [email protected], fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, e-mail [email protected], fax (615) 251-5933, or write to the above address. Please allow six to eight weeks for arrival of first issue.

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Meet the Writers

CURTIS HONTS wrote the six sessions for “Stand Strong: Building

Your Life on God’s Promises.” At the time he wrote these studies, Curtis was a freelance editor/writer and an interim pastor. He is a member of Springfield Baptist Church, Springfield, Tennessee. Curtis earned his B.A. in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University and his M.Div. and M.R.E. degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Curtis served as both a manager and curriculum editor at LifeWay Christian Re-sources for many years. Prior to that he was pastor of Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Benton, Arkansas, and Minister of Education and Youth at Lake-shore Drive Baptist Church, Little Rock, Arkansas. Curtis and Toni have been married since 1983. They are parents of twins, Lincoln and Camille, who are juniors at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama. Curtis enjoys camp-ing, hiking, traveling, sports, and baseball card collecting.

GREG POUNCEY is the senior pastor of First Baptist Tillman’s Corner

in Mobile, Alabama. He studied at Samford Univer-sity (B.S.) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div., Ph.D.). He has served on the State Board of Missions for the Alabama Baptist Conven-tion. Gregory and his wife, Cathy, have two sons and one daughter. His hob-bies are tennis, writing, reading, and coaching soccer. Dr. Pouncey wrote the six sessions in the study “Game Changer: How to Impact Your World.”

STEPHEN CARLSON received his Ph.D. from Mid-America Baptist

Theological Seminary. He has served as an edi-tor at LifeWay and as an adjunct professor for The Southern Baptist Theo-logical Seminary. Presently he is involved in a church plant in Henderson-ville, Tennessee. Dr. Carlson wrote the Special Focus Session.

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STUDY THEME

This study is important because faith in God is not based on blind hope or what we think God is like. Through Scripture, God has clearly revealed Himself and how He desires to work in our lives and through our lives. Our hope, then, is grounded in who God is and the specific promises He makes to us. We can live confidently because of His promises to us.

This study will connect people to Christ, first, because God’s faithfulness and love is evident in all He has done for us through Jesus Christ. Second, because believers will learn that nothing can separate us from the goodness and love of Christ. It also will connect us to Christ as we seek Him through prayer and worship.

This study also will connect people to community. It will remind us that God provides all we need, and that we can use His provision to serve and meet the needs of others. It further will connect us to community as we support each oth-er through our persistent prayers. And finally, it will connect us to community ultimately as we are reminded that the relationship of Christ and His bride, the church, will continue throughout eternity in the new home He has promised us.

And last, this study will connect believers to their culture in that while oth-ers may not seek God, we can pray and intercede on their behalf. Our persistent and loving prayers may open doors for them to have an encounter with Christ.

Stand Strong: Building Your Life on God’s Promises

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THE PASSAGE

Psalm 89:1-2,5-8,15-18

THE POINT

God is faithful in every circumstance.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

Dave loved Saturdays—normally. The rain outside kept him cooped up indoors this Saturday. The dark, dreary day put him in an unusually brooding, reflective mood as his mind began to ponder some of the important people in his life. Chuck, Dave’s college roommate, had recently had an affair and now was in the midst of a nasty divorce. Roger, Dave’s best friend—each had been best man in the other’s wedding—found himself “upside down” in his house. Rather than wait for the housing market to recover, Roger and his wife had opted for a “stra-tegic default,” allowing the bank to take back the house even though they were capable of continuing to make the payments on their debt. Allison, Dave’s own sister, and her husband, Jack, had drifted apart and mutually agreed to separate. They seemed to be doing pretty well, for the circumstances, but the two kids were confused, angry, and insecure.

Over and over, Grandpa Thomas had stressed to Dave that a man’s word was his bond. Yet, with every person who came to Dave’s mind he saw broken commit-ments. He even thought of promises he himself had made to Karen and their chil-dren—promises he had meant at the time, but for one reason or another—no, make that one excuse or another—he had not followed through on. His frame of mind had become more overcast than the weather. But wait! What was that verse their home group had studied Thursday night? “I will sing about the Lord’s faithfulness forever,” or something like that. Could it be that God really is faithful all the time?

SESSION 1GOD’S PROMISE OF FAITHFULNESS

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SESSION 1 God’s Promise Of Faithfulness

THE SETTING

The title, heading, or superscription of Psalm 89 identifies it as a Maskil. That de-scription appears with 13 of the psalms (Pss. 32; 42; 44; 45; 52–55; 74; 78; 88; 89; 142). In addition, the word occurs in Psalm 47:7 where it is translated “wisdom” (HCSB), “skillful” (NASB), or “psalm” (NIV, ESV). The KJV in that verse uses the root of the word and translates it “with understanding.” The variance in translations reflects the uncertainty of the term’s meaning, but it is generally understood to indicate a psalm of instruction or a skillfully composed psalm (see 2 Chron. 30:22).

The title further identifies Psalm 89 as being “of Ethan the Ezrahite,” the only one of the psalms credited to him. First Kings 4:31 mentions an “Ethan the Ezrahite” as one of the wise men whom Solomon’s wisdom exceeded. However, Psalm 89:38-45 (specifically, v. 39) strongly seems to suggest that the psalm came from a time after David no longer had a descendent on the throne of Israel—seen by the psalm-ist as a breaking of the covenant given to David in 2 Samuel 7:8 and following. As David’s heirs continued to reign over the Southern Kingdom of Judah for more than 300 years beyond the time of Solomon, either the Ethan of 1 Kings 4:31 did not compose the psalm or one must find another explanation for the strong sense of broken covenant and utter destruction reflected in the latter portion of the psalm. If the psalm reflects a time around (or following) the final conquest of Judah by Babylon, then we know nothing more of this Ethan than what we can discern from this psalm.

STUDY THE BIBLE

Psalm 89:1-2

How did the psalmist view God’s faithfulness at this tragic time in the nation’s history? What was his response to his assessment of God’s faithfulness?

1 I will sing about the LORD’S faithful love forever; I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations with my mouth. 2 For I will declare, “Faithful love is built up forever; You establish Your faithfulness in the heavens.”

God’s Faithfulness Is a Cause for Praise. Though Psalm 89 laments the demise of the kingdom with an heir of David on the throne, the psalmist did not

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THE POINT: God is faithful in every circumstance.

immediately jump into a dirge and grieve. Instead, he began by rehearsing for himself (and for all who would read, sing, or hear the psalm) praises for God’s hand upon His people and some of the provisions He had made for those people. As we take in the strong, trusting message of the verses in our study, we must remember that they come in the context of profound sorrow and even great con-fusion. The psalmist had understood God’s promise to David to always have an heir on the throne to mean that Israel would continually exist as a national entity. Now that captivity and shame had become their lot, many were experiencing a crisis of faith. They knew what Scripture recorded that God had relayed to David. They knew what they had understood that to mean. But they also knew the stark reality under which they currently lived. How do you reconcile what you know to be true, what you have believed all your life, with what you have seen come to pass in direct opposition to that belief? This was the struggle of the psalmist behind Psalm 89.

As the psalmist began his eventual lament, he started by reviewing the cov-enant God had made with David. Second Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17 relate David’s desire to build a temple, a permanent structure to house the ark of the covenant and the worship activities of God’s people. They also record God’s message to David through the prophet Nathan that David was not to erect the temple, but that “Your house and kingdom will endure before Me forever, and your throne will be established forever” (2 Sam. 7:16).

Most or our English versions begin verse 1 with I will sing. However, the He-brew verb comes at the end of the first line or phrase of the poem. That puts about the Lord’s faithful love forever in the position of prominence at the opening of the sentence, and indeed, the whole psalm. The psalmist’s emphasis was not on the fact he would sing, but on the content of what would be sung and how long it would be sung. Faithful love (also in v. 2) is also translated “mercies” (KJV), “lovingkindness” (NASB), “great love” (NIV), and “steadfast love” (ESV). It is the Hebrew word hesed or chesed; it can also be rendered as “kind-ness” or “loyalty.” It is a key covenant word, not easily translated into English because of the breadth and dynamic of its meaning, as is seen by its various renderings in the versions. Of its 249 occurrences in the Old Testament, over half of them (129) appear in the Book of Psalms.

The psalmist’s recognition of and dependence on the covenant faithfulness of the Lord, then, forms the basis for this psalm. Yes, there were things going on be-yond the psalmist’s ability to comprehend or reconcile, but his trust in the God of the covenant remained. And, it remained sufficiently intact that he was prepared to sing about and proclaim (“make known,” KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV) Your faithful-

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ness to all generations. Today, going on three millennia and untold genera-tions later, the psalmist’s words continue to proclaim God’s faithfulness and to call people to join him in singing praises to our faithful God.

The psalmist also declared he would make this proclamation with my mouth. That tidbit might strike us as a bit redundant—how else would one sing about God or anything else? The phrase is the same as declaring that he would make his public statement loudly. The psalmist did not merely hum to himself some praise to God nor write down the words to be discovered years later when the mood had shifted and public confidence in God was strong again. No, in the midst of the public turmoil over the demise of the nation, the psalmist boldly proclaimed the faithfulness of the Lord.

Next, the psalmist proclaimed that God’s faithful love is built up (“stands firm,” NIV) forever. The Hebrew term rendered built up also appears three times each in both 2 Samuel 7 (vv. 5,13,27) and 1 Chronicles 17 (vv. 4,10,12) discussing who will build God a house and God’s establishing a lasting house for David. Thus, the psalmist harkened back to God’s covenant with David even before he specifically mentioned that covenant in verse 3.

To reinforce the lasting nature of God’s faithfulness, the psalmist declared, You establish Your faithfulness in the heavens. While the humanity-inhabited earth proved as unstable as shifting sand (as evidenced by the new political real-ity of national servitude), the heavens were seen as the epitome of stability and consistency. God’s faithfulness was as unchanging and certain as the heavens.

The psalmist could not make sense of the fact that a Davidic king no longer sat in power over God’s people. Even so, he continued to trust that God was faithful, and he would uncompromisingly declare that truth with his praise and his words. Though we live in far different circumstances and in a much different time, God’s faithfulness is still a cause for praise.

What are a couple of lasting truths in Psalm 89:1-2?1. Devastating circumstances, nationally or individually, might call into ques-

tion the accuracy of our understanding of God and His Word, but they never reflect the slightest lack of faithfulness on God’s part.

2. God’s faithfulness is worth our certain, clear, and bold praise of Him.

Psalm 89:5-8

What three questions did the psalmist ask, expecting the answer to be “No one”? Why is God feared in heaven? What is the significance of the LORD being LORD God of Hosts?

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5 Lord, the heavens praise Your wonders— Your faithfulness also— in the assembly of the holy ones. 6 For who in the skies can compare with the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord? 7 God is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, more awe-inspiring than all who surround Him. 8 Lord God of Hosts, who is strong like You, Lord? Your faithfulness surrounds You.

God’s Faithfulness Is Celebrated in Heaven. Having devoted verses 1-2 to praising God for His faithfulness, the psalmist then recapped in verses 3-4 the covenant God had made with David. Our study picks back up with verse 5, as we see that the psalmist and the rest of humanity are not the only ones to praise God. Indeed, the heavens participate in the praise of the Lord along with the psalm-ist. In verse 2, the heavens point to the unchanging nature of God’s faithfulness. Here, they speak more specifically of the dwelling place of heavenly beings, the angels. Humanity sees much of God’s character and being from a distance. The angels who dwell in the heavens with God see Him on a much more up-close and personal level, and they, too, find reason to praise Him.

The first object of this heavenly praise is identified as Your wonders—which would include the wonderful works of the Lord’s hands, particularly creation, of which humanity is the crowning part, the masterpiece. Thus, the heavenly be-ings praise God for the works of His creation.

But, despite the fact that most Bible versions (including KJV, NASB, NIV, HCSB, and ESV) translate the word as wonders, the Hebrew is singular. If one follows the sin-gular of the Hebrew, then the angels would be praising God for His wonder, or His wondrousness. In that case, the cause for the praise of the angels would not be the marvel of God’s works (of creation or otherwise) but of His own wondrous character.

Both of these interpretations point out to us valid and important reasons to praise God. The Hebrew people would have looked back on God’s works of granting Abra-ham a people and a land; His freeing His people from Egypt, delivering them across the Red Sea, and providing for them in the wilderness; His establishing them in the land of promise; the covenant with David; and many other of the Lord’s works as reasons to praise Him. By the same token, we must never become so wrapped up in ourselves that the only praise we offer to God is for things He has done for us without ever praising Him for who He is—His character, nature, and being.

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The heavens not only praised God for Your wonders but for Your faithful-ness also. That which had caused the psalmist to burst forth in song in verses 1-2 also elicits praise in the realms of heaven in the assembly of the holy ones (“saints,” KJV). As has already been indicated, the holy ones are the angels dwell-ing in heaven. The Hebrew word is used in various places to refer to one who is sacred or set apart for God, either among angelic beings, as here, or among hu-man beings. These angels are said to be in the assembly. The word rendered as-sembly is most frequently translated in that manner in the HCSB, but its second most frequent rendering is as “congregation,” as the KJV has interpreted it here. We easily can picture the angels congregated together to praise the Lord, even as Christians today assemble in church for the same purpose.

Verse 6 contains the first two of three rhetorical questions in this section. Who in the skies can compare with the Lord? The KJV renders this as “heaven,” though the Hebrew is a different word from earlier. It most frequently is translat-ed as “clouds” and can be asking what sun, star, or planet among the atmosphere can compare to God. The expected answer, of course, is none.

Next, the psalmist posed the question, Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord? The KJV and the NASB offer a translation closer to the literal when they render heavenly beings as “sons of the mighty,” but the Hebrew actually says “sons of gods.” Some understand this to be another reference to angels. Allen Ross pointed out that the phrase within pagan religions referred to an assembly of gods1. With his nation having been overrun by Babylon and its pagan beliefs, it would be easy to understand the psalmist to have this idea in mind as he penned these words. In either case, neither any angel nor any other god is like the Lord.

Because there is none in the skies or among the heavenly beings who com-pares favorably with the Lord, therefore, He is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones. Holy ones repeats the Hebrew used in verse 5 (which the KJV again translates as “saints”). Those who most recognize the incomparable nature of God stand in the greatest awe of Him. Some people become so enamored with angels they border on worshiping those beings rather than the One the beings serve. What a folly! The One to whom none can compare is more awe-inspiring than all who surround Him. The angels fear God knowing their ability to inspire awe or fear pales in comparison to God’s.

Verse 8 contains the final rhetorical question of the section. The psalmist addressed it to the Lord God of Hosts (“Almighty,” NIV). David used this title of God in speaking to Goliath, “I come against you in the name of Yahweh of Hosts” (1 Sam. 17:45). It pictures God as the head of the heavenly armies, emphasizing His power over both the forces of earth as well as all spiritual forces. God is not merely a re-

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gional or national deity; His power rules supreme across the heavens and the earth. That being the case, the psalmist asked, who is strong like You, Lord? While some versions use the term “mighty” (NASB, NIV, ESV) and some use it as an adjective de-scribing God (NASB), the implication remains the same—there is none like the Lord.

Coming back to the initial theme, the psalmist asserted, Your faithfulness surrounds You. Just as the angels gather around God to proclaim His praises, so His faithfulness is always around Him, for it is His nature. He cannot depart from His faithfulness any more than you and I can escape our shadows on a bright sunny day. Where God is (and where, in fact, is He not?), there is His faithfulness, and it is celebrated in heaven.

What are some lasting truths in Psalm 89:5-8?1. Even the angels in heaven praise God.2. No heavenly being or so-called god compares favorably with the Lord.3. God’s faithfulness will be found every place God is found.

Psalm 89:15-18

What is the significance of walking in God’s presence? What does it mean to be ex-alted by God’s righteousness? How did the psalmist refer to the king in these verses?

15 Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; Yahweh, they walk in the light of Your presence. 16 They rejoice in Your name all day long, and they are exalted by Your righteousness. 17 For You are their magnificent strength; by Your favor our horn is exalted. 18 Surely our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.

God’s Faithfulness Is Experienced by His Followers. The psalmist had praised God’s faithfulness and proclaimed that it was celebrated in heaven, but he did not stop there. In verses 15-18 he recounted some of the ways in which God’s followers experience His faithfulness. He declared the people happy (“blessed,” KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV) … who know the joyful shout (“the joyful sound,” KJV, NASB; “who have learned to acclaim you,” NIV; “the festal shout,” ESV). The Hebrew term refers to an array of loud noises, from the shouts of battle to the sounding of trumpets to victory cries. Likely, the reference here is to the ex-cited celebration of the great festival worship times (hence, the ESV’s translation).

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The reason for their joyful exultation is that they walk in the light of Your presence (“countenance,” KJV, NASB; “face,” ESV). Light implies the revelation and holiness of the Lord, while being in His presence draws attention to the grace and favor He has poured out on His people. God’s faithfulness had led Him to make Himself known to His people and to permit and encourage them to dwell in His presence. The result of this grace-filled act of God’s faithfulness was the joy-ful shouting in celebrating Him.

The people’s joy was not fleeting, a frenzy inspired by the crowd as they became caught up in the moment. Instead, they rejoiced in God’s name all day long. In Scripture, one’s name stands for that person’s character. When believers pray “in the name of Jesus,” they are not simply tagging Jesus’ name onto the end of their prayers as some type of code word to get the prayers heard and answered. They pray according to the character and nature of Jesus. Thus, when God’s people rejoice in His name, they are rejoicing in His char-acter and being—in who He is. Notice also that God’s people experience and rejoice over His faithfulness on an ongoing basis, not just at isolated moments of celebration.

In addition, they are exalted by Your righteousness (“celebrate your righ-teousness,” NIV). Any esteem or honor or recognition that comes to God’s people comes via His righteousness. The psalmist knew quite well the prestige that came to Israel during the reigns of David and Solomon. But that status among the nations did not rest on the nation because of David’s cunning or the wisdom of his son, but because of the faithfulness and righteousness of their God. Like-wise, should the nation’s current shame and servitude be reversed, it would only happen by God’s righteous faithfulness.

Following this line of thinking further, the psalmist asserted that God Himself was their magnificent strength. Other versions refer to God being “the glory of their strength” (KJV, NASB, ESV) or “their glory and strength” (NIV). The He-brew word translated magnificent refers to an ornament, a beauty, that which enhances the appearance of a person or object. The word sometimes was used to describe the garments worn during the Jewish festivals. Thus, it was God Himself whose strength beautifully adorned and enrobed His people.

Likewise, the psalmist added, it was by God’s favor that their horn was exalt-ed. Frequently in Scripture, horn represents strength or power. Thus, the psalm-ist repeated His assertion that any strength the nation had came only as a result of God’s favor on them. Here, more specifically, horn seems to refer to the king, the human symbol of the nation’s strength and power. David and his heirs had occupied the throne only with the favor of God.

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Continuing to think of the king, the psalmist pronounced that our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel. It is easy for us to see that shield represents protection. Much as with horn in the previous verse, the more specific reference here seems to be the king, who would have been the human personifica-tion of protection for his countrymen. The double assertion that the shield/king be-longs to the Lord/the Holy One of Israel reinforces the strength of the conviction.

The King James Version takes a bit different approach, directly identifying God as both the “defence” and “king” of the people. Regardless of whether one under-stands the reference to be God Himself or the king belonging to God, the mean-ing is the same—the protection of God’s people rests in the hand of the Lord. We, His followers, indeed experience His faithfulness as we live in His presence and protection all day long.

What are some lasting truths in Psalm 89:15-18?1. God’s people have reason to celebrate God, even in the midst of burden-

some circumstances.2. All we have to celebrate or rejoice over, any honor or esteem that comes

our way, all comes by means of God and His righteousness and faithfulness.3. God is our strength, our shield, our protection.

LIVE IT OUT

As you reflect on this Bible study, respond to the following questions:When have you experienced God’s faithfulness in a troublesome circumstance? Explain. _____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________How does your life reflect an ongoing experience with God’s faithfulness? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

PRAYER OF COMMITMENT

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are faithful in every circumstance—those I am awe-struck by and those I anguish over. Teach me that because I have the privilege of walking in Your presence all day every day, I am a blessed person. Please teach me to rely not only on Your strength but to rejoice in You in every circumstance. May my life reflect Your faithfulness in it. Amen.

1 Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms, vol. 2 [Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2013], 829.

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