04 Meeting God in the Psalms

by Krisan Marotta | Aug 3, 2016 | 01 Podcasts, Psalms

This talk by David John Marotta was the fourth of five in recorded live in an Adult Sunday school class.

How Today Fits With the Series

David: The topic for today is meeting God in the Psalms.

This class fits into the other classes in a slightly different way. David Turner did Living the Psalms, which focused a lot on application. We are also talking about application, but from a different perspective.

I picked this session so I could fill in gaps from our guest speakers. There has been some overlap, and I think that overlap has been good. You have seen similar truths from different angles.

This week we will talk about how to determine doctrine and application, and how to decide which of the many true things in a psalm should make it into your talk. You have to pick a sermon topic and gear your talk around it.

Next week Ed Scully will talk about how to present your material. Today is about how to organize your material and pick your main points. After six months in a psalm, you will have lots of main points.

A Confession About Teaching

Let me begin with a confession I learned from many years of teaching. I used to teach computer science. I have taught the Bible. I have been bad and then better. You need form and practice even to be bad. If the first ten times you teach you feel you did not do well, that is okay.

God often uses some of our worst teaching powerfully for his purposes. You do not have to be great. You have to be faithful to teach God’s Word. God’s Word has its own power.

We will talk this week and next about doing our part faithfully to give God’s Word its proper place and form. Even if you do not do it all that well, God is faithful.

When Teaching Does Not Work

Here is the hard realization: teaching, by itself, does not work. If teaching worked, no one would smoke and we would all be thin. Everyone knows smoking is not good for you, and many still smoke.

I hate smoking. My grandmother lost her sight to macular degeneration, which is ten times more likely if you smoke. My mom died in 2002 from lung cancer. I miss her every day. She never got to see her great-grandchildren. She was part of the glue that held our family together.

The end was painful to watch. I take comfort that she was a believer. She said, Do not worry about me. God will take care of me. I know I am in his hands.

My grandmother, who also smoked, lived to 99 and a half, but she never made it to 100 and struggled with lung problems. You can tell people smoking causes disease, but a personal story has more impact.

You will probably remember my story more than the warning labels. That is part of teaching. It is not just head to head. It is heart to heart. It tries to reach the root of the matter and help people change their lives.

Measuring Teaching by Changed Lives

We evaluated Sunday school curriculum for years. We asked if it worked at each age group. One curriculum had great Reformed theology and deep principles. It would have been a great adult curriculum. We used it in sixth grade. They were old enough to grasp it, but it was too abstract.

The curriculum was great. The teachers were great. The presentation was good. I sat in and learned things. But lives were not being changed in sixth grade.

The real test is this: Are sixth graders praying on their own during the week? Are they studying Scripture on their own? Are they relating to their parents differently? Are they thinking about self-image differently? Are they more confident in who they are in Christ?

That is how you evaluate whether teaching is effective. Is it changing lives?

Sometimes it is not the scholarly study of Greek and Hebrew that changes lives. The challenge is to reach people’s hearts. A good teacher makes you excited about the subject. Every week with our guest speakers I have been more excited to study the Psalms.

Your first task is to convey your passion for the subject. You measure effectiveness by changed lives. Ask of your psalm: If someone really got this, how would it change their life?

Think through different audiences. How would this change a single person’s life? A married woman’s? A young man’s? A child’s? The application may differ by audience.

After you have applied the psalm to your life, think through how it applies to others.

Presuppositions and Building a Godly Worldview

When you teach, you bring presuppositions to the text. Presuppositions are things like: God is good. There is only one God. Jesus is his Son. Jesus is the Messiah. You also bring life presuppositions. When the Bible says someone grew angry and their face turned red, you know what that looks like.

It is wrong to take what the text say”s and apply it directly without interpretation. The old checklist of “Is there a promise to keep? Is there a command to obey?” can shortcut the process. The command may have been for a specific historical situation. You have to determine if it is general before you apply it.

Start with interpretation. Study the Bible. Gather information. Ask, What does this teach about God? Then form principles. For example: treat enemies with respect, vengeance belongs to God, trust God rather than taking matters into your own hands.

Integrate those principles with everything else you know about God.

A Family Analogy for Integration

Children do this with parents. They interpret their interactions to figure out their parents’ principles, integrate them, and live harmoniously.

If my wife, Krisan, tells our son, Do not touch the TV and Do not hit your sister, he will test boundaries. If the TV is falling on his sister, what should he do? He could stop the TV, but he would be touching it. He could shove his sister, but that would be hitting. Or he could let the TV fall.

If he rightly integrates the principles, he will break both specific commands to uphold his mother’s larger intent. He will both touch the TV to stop it and push his sister out of harm’s way.

That is why you do not apply commandments woodenly. Commandments reflect the character of God. It is the character of God that is sacred. Individual commands are expressions of that character in specific contexts.

Jesus used David eating the showbread to make this point when his disciples picked grain on the Sabbath. The commandments are not ends in themselves.

Do not misuse this. You could justify anything if you tried. But the biblical challenge is to build the mind and character of God so you can apply God’s worldview in situations Scripture does not address explicitly.

You see this in Christian work on medical ethics and many other fields. You interpret the Bible, form principles, integrate them into doctrine, and then apply doctrine to life. Wisdom is skill in living. It discerns which principles are relevant and applies them well.

Some principles in Scripture are universal and can be applied directly. Others require more work.

Doctrine from Assumptions and Nuances

Almost every biblical statement rests on assumptions. When a text talks about God, it assumes he exists, is unique, good, and sovereign. Those assumptions themselves teach doctrine.

Sometimes a small nuance matters. Paul even makes an argument based on whether a word is singular or plural. Scripture often grounds doctrine in precise language.

Does the Bible Approve of Polygamy?

People say the Bible teaches polygamy. Many heroes had multiple wives. But look at context.

The first example is in Genesis 4:19. Lamech took two wives, Adah and Zillah. Adah bore Jabal, father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother Jubal was father of all who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah bore Tubal-cain, forger of bronze and iron. Their sister was Naamah.

Lamech says to his wives, I have killed a man for wounding me and a boy for striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold. He is clearly not a sympathetic character.

In the Old Testament, polygamy repeatedly brings death and trouble. It is explicitly forbidden for Israel’s king to multiply wives. Multiplication starts at two.

David’s fall begins with desire for more women. Solomon’s foreign wives turn his heart and split the kingdom. The patriarchs with multiple wives suffer for it. The Bible often teaches by implication. Sin leads to death.

Why Presuppositions Matter

Presuppositions shape how you view a passage. Consider God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. If you think God is not sovereign over our choices, but a skillful organizer of events, you will read texts differently than if you think God is sovereign even over our choices.

This affects whether a believer can lose salvation. If everything hinges on our unaided choice, we can frustrate God’s purposes. If God changes our nature, then good works are his work in us.

I think the New Testament clearly teaches Reformed theology in many places. There are passages that are harder to fit. If I were Arminian, I would say the reverse.

Your doctrine will affect how you approach passages. There is a hermeneutical circle: you start with presuppositions, derive doctrine, and then read with those presuppositions. Start with the right ones.

How do you break the circle? Constantly challenge your presuppositions. Let Scripture renew your mind. Let texts that do not fit press you to integrate differently.

All of us like to justify our pet sins. It is easy to bend Scripture to fit our preferences. We must sit under the Bible and let it judge us, not the other way around.

It is okay to change your theology as Scripture corrects you. Doctrine does not save. Jesus saves. You do not need perfect doctrine to be a Christian or a good Bible teacher. You do need to let the Bible wash over your theology regularly.

Growing More Reformed

Trinity is a Reformed church. Many good scholars, Bruce Waltke among them, have grown more Reformed as they studied Scripture. The more you study, I think the more you drift toward Reformed theology.

If you are new to it, I recommend R. C. Sproul’s What Is Reformed Theology? It is deep theology explained clearly. Try on different starting points when you approach a psalm. Ask which set of presuppositions makes the best sense of this psalm and which flow from it.

I read commentaries by authors whose presuppositions I do not share. Some of the best scholars are not particularly conservative or do not affirm inerrancy, but they excel at background and language work.

Derek Kidner’s two-volume commentary on the Psalms is considered a classic. You will need to sift, but you will find gems that help with background and Hebrew that you can integrate with a conservative theology.

I also like John Phillips’ Exploring the Psalms. He dives in with outlines that can spark ideas. A few pages per psalm can give you a start. But as you go deeper, you will see it is not enough by itself. You still have to do the work.

Choosing the Main Point

After you have studied your psalm, you must decide what to teach. A pastor once said, While a passage can be about many things, sermons are usually about one thing primarily.

Of the many worthy truths, which one will best serve your hearers?

Four Poor Substitutes for Application

We substitute interpretation for application. This is my biggest temptation. I love one more word study, one more background detail. But if we stop at explanation and do not build the bridge into people’s lives, we leave the task half done.

There is a story: in a room with a desk, a trash can on the right is filled with papers. A bucket of water sits on the left. A match is lit and thrown into the trash can.

One person comes in and dumps the water to put out the fire.

The next person is called in after the props are switched. That person moves the now-burned trash can back to the right, reducing it to a problem already solved, and leaves.

Teachers sometimes do that. We give principles but leave the fire burning because we do not show how to put it out.

Howard Hendricks’ Teaching to Change Lives is a good resource. The heart of it is this: if you are excited about applying truth in your own life, you will build the bridge for others.

We substitute superficial obedience for substantive life change. If your application is a task people can check off, you have not served them. Even if it is hard and they can do it, that is not the point. Aim at heart change. Real heart change will result in changed actions.

We substitute rationalization for repentance. Teachers are tempted to exhort others to do what we have not done. That is normal. God uses broken people. Let Scripture convict you. Repent. Receive grace. Those are the teachers you want.

We substitute an emotional experience for a volitional decision. We are not trying to produce mountaintop highs that fade. Scripture has teeth. The biblical “heart” is not a metaphor for emotions; in the ancient world, kidneys or bowels were used for feelings. The heart is the seat of the will and affections. Jonathan Edwards used “affections” to describe what you love and aim your life toward. That is what we are trying to reach.

These four cautions are adapted from Hendricks’ Living by the Book.

Avoid the “Be Perfect” Sermon

There is a kind of sermon to avoid: the be perfect sermon. I have heard many sermons that boil down to Be perfect. They set a high bar but offer no methodology for getting there, no help for what to do when we fail, no why of our failure, no how sin leads to death.

Those sermons focus on us and our strength. When you dig down inside to try harder, all you find is yourself. That is the worst place to turn for righteousness.

If your application can be summarized as Be perfect, take another look. There is something better to teach.

This is one way we evaluate children’s curriculum. Most children’s curriculum is the be good variety. You can sell be good to every church because every church believes children should be good. It avoids doctrinal depth.

In our curriculum we focus on God’s promises and attributes. In every story the focus is not Look what the characters did, but Look what this teaches us about God. To build a theology, focus on God. The purpose of the Psalms is to bring us into an encounter with God.

Case Study: Psalm 15

Psa 15:1 A Psalm of David. O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
Psa 15:2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;
Psa 15:3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
Psa 15:4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
Psa 15:5 who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

What might be the main point?

You could take it as:

Here is how to get to heaven.
Or: What does a child of God look like?
Or: How not to be shaken.
Or: Ways you differ from God.
Or: The impossible dream.
Or: Step-by-step moralism.
You could even wrongly conclude: We should not be rich because of the line about interest.

At first blush, it looks like a be perfect psalm. You could reframe it as a promise: citizens of Zion will ultimately be like this. God will make us creatures of glory. That is better.

There is another way that unlocked this psalm for me. The superscription in my Bible says Description of a citizen of Zion, but that is not in the Hebrew.

The psalm asks who may abide in God’s tent and dwell on his holy hill. That sounds like those who minister near the tabernacle or temple.

The line about not taking a bribe against the innocent fits judges. Only a judge can take such a bribe. Read this as characteristics to seek in leaders, judges, rulers, or ministers.

Suddenly the psalm is not an impossible salvation checklist but guidance for recognizing and appointing leaders.

It becomes far more practical and fits other Scriptures that list qualifications for elders. Elders read those lists and ask, Why am I here? Because we are all broken. But the lists still guide us.

You can see how one assumption changes the meaning and application.

Do Some Psalms Belong Together?

Some psalms are linked. There are acrostic psalms that clearly run across two psalms, half the alphabet in one and half in the next. Psalm 90 is by Moses. Psalm 91 is in the same voice and may be linked. Psalms 71–73 share language and themes. Sometimes psalms about the coming king belong together. Commentary can help you see these connections.

What Makes a Good Principle?

It correlates with the general teaching of Scripture.
It speaks to the needs, interests, questions, and problems of real life today.
It indicates a course of action. It has teeth. If people believe it, they will live differently.

God-Centered Sermon Themes in the Psalms

Here are themes from Reformed theology that appear in the Psalms:

Humanity’s radical corruption. Sin pervades every part of us. You can even trace the pathology of how sin leads to death. When I learned what raw cookie dough does to my arteries, I could not enjoy it anymore. Seeing sin’s death makes it less attractive. For example, our son Brendan had night terrors. We learned that keeping a child up too late disrupts sleep and causes night terrors. Our choice was causing the problem. Seeing the connection helped us change.
God’s sovereign choice.
Christ’s purposeful atonement.
The Spirit’s effective call.
God’s preservation of the saints.

Martin Luther drew much of his theology from the Psalms before he studied Romans. Where you start shapes where you end. Start in the right place and you will end in the right place.

Closing Prayer

God, thank you that your Word changes our lives. Soften our hard hearts. Help us repent when we should, realize our sin, and turn to you for forgiveness and hope.

Give us spiritual eyes to see your truth at work in our lives and how you would have us live. Thank you for the brothers and sisters here dedicated to studying, teaching, and sharing your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.