C (2:57)

Okay.

B (2:57)

There's a memorial portion for certain sacrifices.

A (3:00)

And not only is this an individual lament, but one of the things that we're supposed to lament is our own sin.

B (3:08)

And so this psalm is supposed to accompany an animal sacrifice, or it's supposed to accompany the grain offering that at times accompanied an animal sacrifice or even replacing them if the petitioner could not afford to sacrifice an animal. So in some cases, if the person offering their offering to the Lord couldn't afford an animal, they would only give a grain offering. And so that is the memorial portion of the offering. It's the grain.

C (3:41)

Okay.

A (3:41)

Never the actual fat for the animal, but the grain. All right, we'll get into why this is important later. But that's Psalm 70, Psalm 71. We've got another individual lament. Now, a lot of people believe that this is an old man. He's an unnamed old man. He may be the old man from the cracker barrel logo. Who knows? I don't know. That's funny. We got that old logo back. Okay, I know that. Anyway, so this is an unnamed old, old man that is recounting God's faithfulness. That's what's happening in Psalm 71. And then, so we get three individual laments back to. Back to back, Psalm 69, 70, and 71. And then to end book two, we are gonna get the first and only psalm of King Solomon. That's right, the first and only psalm of. Of Solomon. And this is going to be a.

B (4:44)

Royal psalm, or as we have grown.

A (4:47)

To refer to these, a messianic psalm. Now, Messianic doesn't mean that it's prophesying about the person of Jesus. Messianic simply means that the Messiah is God's anointed one, AKA the king. Okay, so there's a capital M, Messiah. That is gonna be Jesus, the Christ, the anointed one. Okay, Christ means king.

C (5:10)

Okay.

A (5:11)

Or lowercase m, Messiah. Like there are multiple lowercase m Messiahs, even though there's only one uppercase m, Messiah. I think you get the point. All right, so that is as much context as I can give for these four Psalms that are concluding book two. Let's dive into some nerdy nuggets.

B (5:33)

Okay, so Psalm 69 is going to get quoted three times in the New Testament. We're going to look at two of those particular quotations.

C (5:42)

Okay?

B (5:42)

This long psalm is an individual lament of David, who has faced much injustice in his life, but whose sense of injustice for others is still strong. It contains two particular lines that will be used by the gospel writers centuries later about the son of David.

C (6:01)

Okay?

B (6:02)

Psalm 69. 9 says this for Zeal for your house has consumed me. This is David's word. Zeal for your houses consume me. This is going to get used in the Book of John.

C (6:14)

Okay.

B (6:14)

By John, the Gospel writer, in chapter 2, verse 17, when Jesus overturns the tables of the money changers in the temple, the disciples, when they see him do this, remember this line from King David from Psalm 69. And see that Jesus shares his great, great, great, great, great ancestors.

A (6:36)

Zeal for the house of Yahweh.

B (6:39)

John sees this as David prophesying through.

A (6:43)

This psalm about the Son of Yahweh.

C (6:47)

Okay?

B (6:47)

About the Son of God and about David's actual descendant named Jesus. Now, here's a side note. Paul is going to use the other half of that same verse. It says this, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me when writing of Jesus. Example of taking on the burdens of others in Romans 15:3. But although Romans 15:3 is in the New Testament, it's not one of the Gospels. Okay, so two verses are gonna get used in the Gospels, and that is for zeal for your house has consumed me. And also Psalm 69, 21 says this, and for my thirst, they gave me sour wine to drink.

A (7:33)

Now we are going to get this one.

B (7:34)

In all four gospel accounts, this line is used by all four gospel writers. This can be found in Mark 15:23, Matthew 27:48, Luke 23:36, and John 19:29. All of them use this line as a prophecy when Jesus is given sour wine to drink while he's on the cross. It is another example, then, of the words of David being reflected in the life of Jesus. It underscores how important David is to the whole biblical story. It is in many ways his story, as it is the story of the Son of David. Okay, so much of who Jesus is as the Messiah is set up by David. David is in many ways the type and shadow of Jesus.

C (8:27)

Okay.

B (8:28)

By David's kingship, by his dynasty, by devotion and loyalty to Yahweh as king, by zeal for the temple, and by his worship and words that shape the life and ministry of the Son of the King.

C (8:43)

Okay, so David's a big deal.

B (8:45)

Okay, Last thing I'll say about Psalm.

A (8:47)

69, and then we'll keep it moving.

B (8:49)

Is that Psalm 69, 34, 36. Give us an insight into how these psalms were sung and the participation involved. Okay, this psalm is an individual lament. It is one voice, yet it ends with a corporate voice, with lines of corporate praise. To God. This was likely written so that there would be a moment for the crowd to join in the psalm, making it congregational in nature. The choir would lead, then all the people would end the psalm praising God together. Okay, here's a nerdy nugget from Psalm 70.

C (9:27)

Okay.

B (9:28)

This is another individual event, and it is difficult to first see any connection with the memorial offering that we find in the title. There is perhaps one part, though, that.

A (9:40)

I think we can see a connection.

B (9:43)

Chapter 70, verse 5. Psalm 70, verse 5 says this. But I am poor and needy. Hasten to me, O God, you are my help and my deliverer. O Lord, do not delay.

A (9:53)

Now, who is it who's going to give a grain offering as opposed to an animal sacrifice? That's right, the poor.

B (10:02)

Okay, so this little nugget right here.

A (10:05)

Of I'm poor, the petitioner saying, I'm.

B (10:07)

Poor, I'm needy, and the heading that.

A (10:11)

Says that this is connected to the.

B (10:12)

Memorial offering in some way is how we know that this memorial offering was always a portion of a grain offering. For many rituals and sacrifices, there could be an element of grain that was also offered. And for those, a portion would be burned on the altar as the memorial portion, the part given totally to Yahweh. But there would be another important reason for offering grain, and that would be if you could not afford the animal sacrifice that would be necessary for that particular offering, for the particular offering that was being made, the truly poor and needy would offer grain as sacrifice, and so a portion would be given to Yahweh as a memorial. Perhaps, then, that is why this psalm is connected to being a memorial offering, but also being connected to being poor and needy, that they would be remembered by Yahweh, their salvation. His salvation was not just available to the rich and the powerful like David.

A (11:15)

But to all who are loyal to him. Man, that's just beautiful that God allows.

B (11:22)

Poor people, people who are truly impoverished.

A (11:25)

To have an option so they could be included in in the sacrifice. I think that's just absolutely incredible.

B (11:33)

One other thing that I want to.

A (11:35)

Take note of, and we're going to.

B (11:37)

Go Back to Psalm 69.

A (11:38)

This is what makes David so revolutionary, is that although he's living in the Old Covenant or an Old Testament system, and he's desiring to build a temple.

B (11:47)

Where there's going to be sacrifices, he.

A (11:49)

Begins to say things like this, I.

B (11:50)

Will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns. And hooves.

A (12:03)

What gives David the audacity to think that he can please God by singing as opposed to actually offering God sacrifices? It's almost like two things are happening. David knows, like, the blood of lambs and bulls and goats don't actually appease God. They appease our guilt, but they don't appease God. Second, that this is temporary. Like, there's gonna be a day where we're not gonna offer animals anymore, but we are gonna continue to sing. And so it's like David has this.

B (12:33)

Understanding that what really pleases God is worship.

A (12:37)

And even if worship is not the actual sacrifice of a bull or an ox, that there's still a heart posture of worship that pleases God. And it's verses like this, Psalm 69, verses 30 to 31, that 100% drive.

B (12:56)

Me to believe that.

A (12:59)

Not to believe, but to understand why David is described as a man after God's own heart.

B (13:07)

All right, Psalm 71 is a Psalm of individual lament. Individual lament.

A (13:12)

And obviously, if you read it, it's written by an old guy. We don't know what old guy, but.

B (13:18)

There are a couple clues here in Psalm 71 that the person writing it is pretty old.

A (13:23)

Okay, number one, this is in verse nine. Do not cast me away when I am old. I don't think that's random. Like, I think. I think the man is like, hey, Lord, I know I'm getting old, all right? Don't cast me away, all right? I was. I. I've been praising you for a long time, but now I'm getting old. I still got. I still want to worship you, but don't cast me away now that I'm old. Okay, then verse 17 says this.

B (13:47)

Since my youth, God, you have taught me.

A (13:49)

And to this day I declare your marvelous deeds even when I am old and gray. Do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. And honestly, I could give a timeless.

B (14:04)

Truth right here, like verse 22. I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God. I will sing praise to you with the lyre. Holy one of. Of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when.

A (14:16)

I sing praises to you, I whom you have delivered. I mean, I want to be an old man, like in church, just skipping and laughing and dancing and praising and singing, like. And telling of God's works to the next generation. Like, I want to be this old guy, okay? I want to be the old guy from Psalm 71. And I think it's really, really special. Like, I've been in a couple of churches that are genuinely intergenerational and multi generational and have generational diversity. And when people in their 70s and 80s are still, like, crying in God's presence and still have a soft heart towards God, oh, my gosh. Like, it's so moving. It's so moving that the, the emotional part of our relationship with the Lord has not gotten stale for them. It's the same as seeing old people who are still in love. You're just kind of like, yo, man, that's goals right there. Like, I want to be old and still in love with my wife. And in the same way, I want to be old, still in love with the Lord family. The wait is over. My brand new book, Crushing Chaos is out now and available everywhere. Books are sold. Literally. Today I walked into a Barnes and Noble and I signed a bunch of copies at a physical location. So you can grab this book at a physical Barnes and Noble or you can go to a Books a Million or Amazon or anywhere books are sold and grab a copy. If you enjoy reading the Bible from an ancient perspective, if you understand that the beauty of scripture is actually knowing it in context, then you'll love this book. And if there's any chaos in your personal life, I think that reading the Bible from an ancient perspective can actually help to crush the chaos in your life. I think this book is going to be a New York Times bestseller. I really do. I think we wrote a good one. I think you should get a copy today. All right, back to the episode.

B (16:23)

Okay, Psalm 72 is a royal psalm celebrating the king and his reign. And so Yahweh, the true king, whose power and authority rest on the king.

A (16:34)

Okay, so there's two layers of meaning.

B (16:35)

Okay, the king is being celebrated, but who's the real king? Yahweh's the real king. Okay, the king in question is Solomon. And as mentioned above, it was either written for an anniversary of his succession or in preparation for his son's coronation.

C (16:53)

Okay?

A (16:53)

Those are the two events that would.

B (16:55)

Have caused this to be written.

A (16:56)

Now, one of the things that I.

B (16:57)

Want to make really, really clear is.

A (17:00)

Obviously the heading tells us that this is of Solomon, okay, right above Psalm 72. But then verse 20 may be confusing because it says, this concludes the prayers of David, son of Jesse. So it's like, is this psalm written by David, son of Jesse, or is this psalm written by Solomon? And the answer is, the psalm is written by Solomon. And that little verse right there, verse 20 is actually the verse that closes out book two. You gotta remember that book three is Psalms 73. 89. So there's a whole new movement or book of the Psalms that's about to start. So that little verse, verse 20, is.

B (17:42)

Actually not closing out Psalm 72.

A (17:45)

It's closing out the whole entirety of book two. Okay, that was a little confusing. I had to go on a search through a bunch of commentaries to figure out what was going on in my Bible. I literally wrote question mark, and I.

B (17:58)

Was like, what is going on? All right, so here's what's happening. Psalm 72 is highlighting the fact that Solomon's reign has been one of wealth.

A (18:09)

And power and fruitfulness.

B (18:12)

Says this in verses 8 through 11. May he have dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust. May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute. May the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts. May all kings fall down before him. All nations serve him. These verses show what the obedience of David in the early years of Solomon's reign brought to Israel. Rest on all sides, riches in power, just kings redeeming their people. Like just.

A (18:53)

I mean, not unjust, but just. Right.

B (18:56)

Kings that are just redeeming their people, the nations flocking to Israel. This was Israel as it was meant to be. That one fleeting moment captured in the glory of Solomon in this psalm. This was how they were meant to be. The priestly kingdom that we looked at a couple psalms ago, okay?

A (19:17)

That Abrahamic psalm, that priestly psalm, that harvest psalm that we talked about, that was actually Psalm. Where is it? Psalm 67.

B (19:25)

All right? This was Israel as it was meant to be.

C (19:29)

Okay?

B (19:30)

This is how they were meant to. To be. The priestly kingdom, the center of the world.

A (19:34)

The nations coming to Solomon and learning about Yahweh.

B (19:38)

This is Israel being a good witness. This is Israel being so blessed that.

A (19:43)

They are attracting the attention of other nations who want to now know, how.

B (19:49)

Did you accomplish this?

A (19:51)

And the answer would be faithfulness to Yahweh.

C (19:53)

Okay?

B (19:54)

This immediately gets us into our Talmud's truth. There exist, then, two accounts of the glory of Solomon's reign, okay? One in the first chapters of Kings and then here in poetry form in Psalm 72. It is good that we have both, because part of the Bible's job is to force us to hold two truths in tension. Two truths don't equal a contradiction. Two truths need to be hold in tension.

A (20:22)

That low key rhymes and so bars.

B (20:26)

It is good that we've got both accounts as they give us a more balanced picture of Solomon and what we can learn from him. Kings is going to paint a much more negative view of Solomon's wealth and fame. The good stories are there, but they are woven into a larger narrative that tells us about Solomon's downfall. His downfall was based on his riches and his fame in many marriages to.

A (20:55)

The women or daughters of kings, of other nations, pagans.

B (21:01)

Yet here in the Psalms, we see that those same riches and the same fame and connection to the nations in a far more positive light. In Kings, Solomon's wealth made him corrupt and brought injustice to his people. But here, that same wealth brings blessing and redemption. The message then is that it is not the wealth, the fame, the success, or any accolades that bring downfall.

A (21:29)

It's not large churches or mega churches or book deals that bring a moral failure to a pastor. That's not the problem. And sometimes in our legalistic culture, it's like we're leery of anything that's like, looks like that. And I'm dealing with that right now. As a church planner, I won't get into that. But seriously, I'm literally dealing with that exact thing. So it is not wealth, fame, success.

B (21:56)

Accolades that bring downfall.

A (21:58)

Those things in and of themselves are.

B (22:00)

Not inherently evil, but rather your motives, why you got them in the first place, and how you use them will dictate whether they bring you down. And that's not just true for Solomon.

A (22:14)

That'S true for me, that's true for you. A book deal could be a massive blessing. A book deal could ruin my life. The book deal is not inherently sinful in any way, shape or form. But whether or not it's an idol will be a test of whether or not that thing grabbed my heart. So this is how I kind of. I write things like in Google Docs and I write them in my notes is the way that I write them in my notes is like a little bit more devotional, like, because it's literally I'm like, I'm kind of writing it. For me, holding the tension between the account of Solomon and Kings versus the one we have here in Psalm 72 is a lesson that we have to adopt for reading the Bible, period. Because the Bible is always going to force us to hold things in tension. Wealth is never inherently good or bad. Wealth, fame, accolades, success, a mega church, none of that stuff is bad inherently. It's not good or bad inherently. Wealth is always a neutral tool. It could be a hammer that builds the life that God wants you to build, or it could be a sledgehammer that demolishes even the opportunity of walking in the life that God has for you. It is a tool or a weapon based on how you choose to use it. I know there are a lot of people who just throw the baby out of the bathwater. There are a lot of people who were church hurt, and instead of realizing, hey, some mega churches are toxic, some mega churches are healthy, their verbiage is, I just don't like megachurches at all. And it's like, golly, man, like, there's nothing inherently wrong with a megachurch. There's nothing inherently wrong with a nice house. There's. There's nothing inherently wrong with a dope car. There's nothing inherently wrong with a Rolex or a luxury watch or anything. There's nothing inherently wrong with anything. However, if the thing is an idol, now we have a problem.

B (24:09)

And we get two accounts here in the Bible.

A (24:12)

And I think, man, these two accounts help us to actually see that the.

B (24:17)

Truth is somewhere in the middle.

A (24:18)

And that middle is that things are objectively neutral. And you add positivity or negativity to it by the way you engage with it. And that's not just true for Solomon. That's true for you.

B (24:31)

That's true for me.

A (24:33)

That is a timeless truth. All right, tomorrow we're diving into book.

B (24:37)

Three of the Psalms.

A (24:39)

We got Psalms 73, 74, and 75. Can't wait to see you right here, same time, same place. I hope that you're on a streak. If you are, I'm proud of you. If you're not, get your life together, please. I love you guys so much. I'll see you right here tomorrow. Peace. Thanks so much for joining us on.

B (24:57)

The Bible Department podcast.

A (24:58)

You can find us online and learn more about the show at thebibledepartment.com and on Instagram hebible department. If you enjoyed this episode and want to dive deeper into the Bible, you can get free access to our library, of course courses@thebibledepartment.com we'll see you back here tomorrow.