David's Concept concerning God's Judgment on David's Enemies among the Nations and concerning Man's Condition before God

0:00We praise the Lord for thy great plan, that we might well in place may be." Welcome to Life Study of the Bible, a presentation of Living Stream Ministry. Witnessly, a servant of the Lord for over seven decades, culminated his ministry with a 21-year book-by-book Exposition of the entire Bible, which he called Life Study. This Life Study is the basis for our program today, and includes short portions of the spoken messages given by Witnessly. Now, let's join today's program. The Psalms, beloved by all of God's people, are composed of the expression of the sentiments, feelings, impressions, and experiences of Godly men. Many of the Psalms express primarily the concept of the writer. David, for example, in a number of the Psalms was frequently in grave danger,

1:01being pursued by his enemies, those who were desiring even to do away with him, and so we see his crying out to Jehovah for safety and deliverance. Other of the Psalms exalt and uplift the law of God, connecting God's blessing with our ability to keep the law. There are, however, many Psalms that express a much higher thought, even the divine thought. Psalms which present the very Christ of God, maybe not in direct reference, but in unmistakable clarity. These are Psalms which convey God's deepest feeling and his heart's desire for man, that Christ would occupy the center in our lives as he occupies the center of God's own economy. John Pasteur is back with us today. As we continue this fellowship in the Life Study of the Psalms, and John, we see this theme reoccurring in these early Psalms, I would imagine that it's going to stay with through the whole of the Psalms, isn't it? I think these messages wonderfully present to us the reason why this radio program is called

2:01the Life Study of the Bible, because there's a very clear distinction between what David's feelings are and what God's feelings are. This is God's word and God's word marvelously presents David's feelings, but David's feelings are on a lower plane in these Psalms, Psalms 9 through Psalms 14. And they don't really reflect the intention that God has which is to put his life into man. It rather reflects David's thought that the Christian life is a life of choosing between good and evil, but we need to realize that the Bible presents two principles by which a man can live. One principle, as exemplified by the tree in Genesis, was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Both good and evil are on the same tree that resulted in the curse and the infection of sin into mankind. The other tree that man can live by is the tree of life, and this tree represents Christ.

3:08And David in these Psalms is expressing the sentiment of a person who believes that the principle of living is to choose between good and evil without realizing that both of those principles reside on the same tree. David thinks that if he does good, then God should punish those who are bad. And so his concern in these Psalms is entirely in the realm of God providing for his safety, for his blessing, for his peace, for his comfort. And that is different than God's desire, which is to impart Christ into our being in whatever circumstances we are in, in whatever situations we are in. And in fact, even goes counter to the thought that God is just desiring to punish bad men. God has a love for all of humanity. He wants to impart himself into all of humanity. And David's thought, at least in these Psalms, shows that he is in the wrong realm. And as Christians, we can be in the wrong realm as well. If we don't focus in on God's desire to be life to us,

4:10and praise the Lord that we have these life studies. Excellent overview, John, and introduction. I think I want to re-emphasize again as we continue. We're not depreciating portions of God's word. We honor and exalt all of God's word. But we're recognizing that the thought conveyed in one portion, compared to another, sometimes is on the human plane, as you've been describing. Sometimes it touches the divine plane. And we've seen this already in these early Psalms. Psalm 1 was all about the law, but Psalm 2 brought us clearly to Christ. Then three through seven, once again, we see David as the center, the law as the center, Psalm 8, another peak, where Christ is revealed in a marvelous way. Now we come to these six Psalms, 9 through 14. And we're back in David's turmoil, and everything is centered around his welfare, his well-being. But at the end of this stretch comes another peak, which Witnessly will allude to in this first portion today. Actually, I have selected a couple of verses from Psalm 15, which is technically outside the scope

5:10of our program today, but since he's going to talk about it, it opens the door. And I think it helps to underscore the point you made in the introduction. Psalm 15 begins this way. We're presented with a question, O Jehovah, who may sojourn in your tent, who may dwell on your holy mountain. Then David proceeds to answer the question for us, he who walks in integrity and does righteousness, and speaks truth from his heart. He who does these things will not be shaken forever. Clearly, John, this is David's concept, and as we'll see, really matches the tree of knowledge of good and evil, doesn't it? That is correct. All right, here's what in the sleep of their first portion. Tonight we're going to cover from Psalm 9 to Psalm 14. And these few Psalms are not that passive. Psalm 15 asks, who will sojourn Jehovah in your tent? And who will dwell on your mountain? And David's answer is this, the perfect according to the law. But tonight, I must tell you,

6:17in the whole universe, there's not one person who is perfect according to the law, only Jesus Christ. No one else. Everybody broke the law. Even David exalts the law so high, he just by one sin. He broke all the last five commandments. He met her, he killed, he robbed others of his wife. That is fornication. And he lied. He lied to Eurea. And then he coveted, you see, all the five. Killing, fornication, stealing, lying, and coveting. If among the human ways, in the human society, there's no killing, no fornication, no stealing, there's no lie, and there's no coveting.

7:20Maya, that is really the kingdom of the heavens on the shores. But today just apostate. Paul says already, no husband, no flesh can be justified by the law. Who can keep the law? Who can? No one. But one not only can, and he did. The one who became a man and living a human life. He kept the law perfectly. Then he was killed. Then he was resurrected. And now he is in ascension at the red hand of God. This one is the one who can sojourn in God, Tabernacle. Who can do it with God? Wonderful. Now we all got to know that God has an economy. And in God's economy, there is a central line. And that central line is Christ to be large,

8:30to have a counterpart. That is his church. But David's concept is not along this line. David's concept is along a subsidiary line. And that is the law. The law is not a central line. The law is a set line. And the central line is mainly Christ. Then more you read these Psalms carefully, David's concept is just God and evil. And this principle of God evil is the principle of, you know, the two trades in Genesis 2, the first way in the travel life. And the second trade is the trade of the knowledge of God and evil. You read this six times, you could realize, my David is full of the knowledge. I'm going to evil. John, I like the question that David asks at the beginning of Psalm 15. I think it's worth pondering.

9:34It's just the answer to the question that he came up with that I think we need to talk about. Who, Jehovah, can sojourn in your tents? Who can dwell on your high mountain? And David answers that question by saying it's the person that can keep the law and implied in that response and in that further development in these Psalms is the thought and the realization and the hope that he can be one who fulfills the law. And therefore being on the good side of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he will not receive the same punishment as those that are on the bad side. And he will even have the ability to call down judgment upon those who are bad from this God who he believes judges according to good and evil only. And so his response is entirely based upon the law. He is a person that's living in the law. He thinks that the law is the principal line of conduct in the Bible. And he completely misses the line of life. And I think,

10:34witnessedly, properly picks up that line by pointing out that the only one who can sojourn in the tent who can fulfill the law, the only one who ever did was Christ. And so our attention needs to be focused on Christ. And David even implicitly answers his question. And Paul picks up on this nugget of truth in 14 when he says who seeks after God and David answers no not one. There's not one who seeks after God. They're all perverse. They're all doing their own things. And Paul picks up on this truth and he inserts it into Romans chapter three in the context of showing that the law should lead us to Christ, that the law should lead us to grace. The only purpose of the law is that it entered in alongside of sin to make sin exceedingly sinful and point out to us our need to turn from the knowledge of good and evil to life, which is Christ and which is grace. Yeah, he uses this word the line of the law was a subsidiary line. The problem is

11:35in our natural sort of default settings, it becomes the central line, doesn't it? Right. And it replaces what is rightfully the central line. And most of Christianity today is in this line. They're in the realm of good and evil without realizing that that is one composite realm that's completely set apart from Christ. I also appreciate the word that the Lord said in the gospels when someone asks him, calls him good master in his responses, who is good only God is good. So if you want to be in the realm of good, you really have to be in the realm of God. There is a human realm of good, which is according to the tree of knowledge, a good and evil. And the real realm of blessing is God himself, Christ himself. And if we focus in on that, then rather than trying to keep the law, trying to be a quote, quote, good person and not be a bad person. If our focus is in on Christ, we will have the blessing that we need, whether our circumstances change one bit or not.

12:36Okay. 9214. Those are the Psalms specifically we're here to talk about today. Let's look at a couple of verses from Psalm 9, verses 7 and 8. This touches something you alluded to, John. The kind of judgment that David conceives God most interested in, but Jehovah sits enthroned forever. David writes, he has established his throne for judgment. And it is he who judges the world with righteousness. He executes judgment on the peoples with equity. Now, let's pick up a verse from the New Testament that talks about Christ on the throne. Acts 531, this one God has exalted to his right hand as leader and savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Little different emphasis once again. Here's one asleep. You know, in the New Testament, I told Christ the King, the lure of all the kings sitting on the throne to do what? Not to judge, to save. Today we have a saving King. You read Acts 531. God

13:46uplifted Christ to his right hand that he may be the lure and the savior. This is David's soul. He's God in the King on the throne to do what? To judge. Can you see this? To judge the world in grace and mercy? To judge the world in righteousness and with equity. With equity means simple means in justice, in righteousness and in justice. The whole world is not righteous. It's not just only one who is sitting on the throne. He judges in righteousness and with justice. This comes to be right. It's nothing wrong. But this is according to what, then one, according to the tree of the knot of good evil, number two, according to the law.

14:47All these sick sounds together. You could see here is a man who was supposed to be very godly. And he sawed his concept, his sinking. It's all to get wrapped up with the law with the tree of the knotty of good evil. Nothing related to God's economy. Nothing related to God's center of his plan. You couldn't see all together concerning David's thought regarding his welfare. This is all. In principle, these sick sounds are the same as the five times three to seven. Nothing is related to God's economy, to God's interest, to God's kingdom, to God's plan. But all are wronged. David's

15:55personnel benefits, personnel interests, personnel safety, personnel peace. Do you think this should be a model to us? Sure not. You know, this John reminds me of something that was brought up in one of the earlier programs. Many people use these Psalms three through seven nine through 14 as a kind of a model on how to pray because everybody goes through these hard times and here's David in hard times and he's calling out to God. Witnessly, he takes a very strong counter approach to this because the problem with these Psalms, even though they're good and wonderful and we always cry out to God, all of us do when we're in such a distress, but they're centered on the wrong thing, aren't they? Yes, these are prayers that come from a person who is not properly calibrated to God's economy. He sees the world in black and white, good and evil, and all of the distresses that he is experiencing, he attributes to those that are evil, and then all the good that he wants to receive, he attributes to God. And so he calls down judgment upon those that are evil and ask for blessings on himself.

17:01And this is really the realm that many Christians are in, but it's an improper realm because God does not operate this way. What strikes a person the most when you read these prayers of David is that even though he exalts God, his focus is entirely upon man, his focuses entirely upon people on the earth. And so he calls upon judgment upon these people, but God is not in that realm. God has a heart of love toward man. He will judge and he will act righteously, but his heart is intimately related toward bringing man into his saving grace and his saving salvation. He desires to impart himself into man. And David is concerned, really, I appreciate this word to the uttermost. He's concerned for his personal benefit, his personal interest, his personal safety, his personal peace. And he attributes all of that distress to men on the earth. And therefore he asks that God would come in and righteously judge them and deal with him.

18:03So even though he's apparently upholding the principle of good, he's upholding it for his own personal interest. He desires that God would come in and deal with these men on the earth so that he would be comfortable. And this is the mindset of many Christians. Deal with our distress as God so that I can be blessed and be in a peaceful situation. But it's ironic. David ultimately believes that is the case. That is the reality. But in Psalm 11, he says, why old Jehovah do you stand far off? And then in 14, he begins, how long old Jehovah will you forget me continually? And so there are times when David can't even understand because he's living in the wrong principle, he can't understand that God is not a stress reliever. God is not an ant as a tablet. That's not what God desires to do. God desires to impart himself into us. And he will impart himself into us in every circumstance and every situation. And in fact, he will do it in a way that is righteous, but is also not just

19:08focused on men on the earth. Paul says our wrestling is not with flesh and blood, but with the principalities and powers in the earth. That's where the real battle is. That's where our real focus needs to be. If there's any judgment, if there's any righteous judgment that needs to be applied, it needs to be applied in that direction, not toward men. What needs to be applied toward man is the love and the grace that is available through Christ's redemptive death and his life giving resurrection that is able to impart himself as life into men. If you receive life in the midst of your circumstances and distresses, the Lord may come in and sovereignly change your circumstances. But he may just supply you with the grace that you need to get through it. He may supply you with the grace to withstand the persecution that's coming from evil men, not to deliver you from that persecution, but just give you the grace to be above it. And so this is the marvelous thing about God's economy. God desires not just to be our personal stress reliever. He desires to be

20:10our life. Really good point. And I want to underscore it as we go into this final section. We're not talking about God compromising or ignoring his righteousness. And of course, that's the wonder of the gospel because in the sacrifice of Christ and his redemptive work, God's righteousness is fully satisfied. Therefore, he's able to be released in his love for man. So we find in the New Testament that this throne, David's referring to, is called the throne of grace. And of course, in John 3, 16, we realize God loves everyone, even the evil doers among us and wants to bestow his own divine life and save them to the uttermost just as well. If I could just underscore that point because it's a very good one. God's righteousness is never compromised by his grace. God's righteousness is executed when all avenues of grace have been exhausted. All right, here's when the sleep for our final portion. The Holy Bible is the writing of God. When we come to read it, we shouldn't understand it

21:13by our way, by our concept. This is why, in the learned ones, you may have a doctor degree in or a master degree in Chinese and so forth. You may read the black and white, but I assure you, you may get nothing because you read the Bible, you understand the Bible, you interpret it, you appreciate it, you teach it, all together according to your kinds of understanding. The throne. Based upon what we have seen according to the principles of the Bible, you consider six times, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen. What is up to the standard of the divine revelation? There's not one point up to the standard. Today, in the New Testament principle, God does have a throne, and He is really sitting there on the throne, but the throne today is

22:17called what? The throne of grace, not only today, from eternity past to eternity future. God's intention is to love the world. God loves the fallen human race. That He has given His only begotten to come, to die for us, that we may have eternal life and shall not perish, so are believing in Him. This is the basic principle of the New Testament. God loved the fallen human kind. If not so, none of us could have been saved. We are saved. Based upon the principle that God loves the human race. Even though the human race is fallen, even though the human race has become a world, God loves us. So His throne today is not

23:25its throne of the King of authority. His throne today is the throne of His Savior, a loving Savior. So this throne of authority has become today the throne of grace. So every day, every moment, we could come to approach this throne of grace, that we may find mercy and receive grace to meet our time they need. This is today's dispensation. God set up. Well John, our time is gone. I don't know, it seems to me. I'd like to summarize just with his own phrase here, that if God had responded him according to David's thought, neither David nor any of us would be saved, would we? That's absolutely correct. Isn't it wonderful that God doesn't respond to us based upon our ability to keep the law but based upon our willingness to turn to Him, open to Him, and receive Him as our Savior, as our life,

24:31and as our supply. And in Christ in God's economy and His ultimate righteous sacrifice and the accomplishment of His redemption, both God's love and His righteousness find their satisfaction. And so even in the midst of any distress that's caused by any kind of earthly environment, earthly situation, we can be people who come forward to the throne of grace and receive grace for our time we need. And that is where we want to stay focused. John, great to have you. Hope you can come back during this life study of Psalms. We just quickly give your toll free number. Hope you'll contact us to get the printed messages. It's 1-888-life study. 888-543-3788. For John, Pastor, and Chris Wilde, thanks for listening to that.

25:39We hope you enjoyed this program. For more information on witness Lee and Watchman Lee, please visit our website lsm.org. Again, that's lsm.org. Thanks for listening today.