Theme: How to Receive God’s Blessing
This week’s lessons instruct us of the need to put our trust in God throughout our lives, because he alone will never let us down.
Scripture: Psalm 25:1-22
There is one more thing that we need to see about this psalm, however. It presents a problem; it suggests a solution; it expresses confidence that God will provide the solution needed. But, finally, it also shows the attitude of heart that will enable the psalmist to receive the anticipated blessing. It has several parts.
Humility (v. 9). Verse 8 says that God will instruct sinners in his ways because he is good and upright. But that implies that sinners know themselves to be sinners and that they come before God humbly, as the next verse makes clear: “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” (v. 9). There is no promise in the Bible that God will teach an arrogant mind or a haughty spirit. On the contrary, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; cf. Prov. 3:34).
Obedience (v. 10). The reason why many of us do not learn much about God or God’s ways is that we are not ready to obey him when he makes the way plain. We want to know what the way is before we will obey it; that is, we want to keep the options for sin open. David tells us that this will not work, since “the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant” (v. 10). We must be committed to obedience before God unfolds his loving and faithful ways to us.
Reverence (vv. 12, 14). Some of us are brash in approaching God, regarding him more or less as some celestial buddy, rather than as the great, holy, awesome God he truly is. Verses 12 and 14 remind us that reverence is necessary if we would know him: “Who then is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.” “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”
Expectation (v. 15). Finally, God desires a spirit of believing expectation, for, as David says in verse 15, “My eyes are ever on the LORD.” He is telling us that if we want to be taught and led by God, we must get into the habit of looking to him regularly.
Each of these characteristics need to be possessed and practiced by us. In fact, in my judgment, this is the note on which the psalm ends. You will recall from my original analysis of the acrostic pattern of this psalm that the final verse does not fit the pattern. It begins with the letter pe, for one thing. But even more noticeably, it suddenly refers to Israel when the earlier material was exclusively a personal prayer of David. This is no accident. On the contrary, it has the effect of broadening what has been said to include all Israel and therefore also to include us. It is an invitation to us to put our own name into the final couplet.
If we will come to God as David came to him, then we can say expectantly, “Redeem me, O God, from all my troubles!” and know that he will answer.
Study Questions:
From the lesson, review the basic outline of this psalm. Where are the divisions for each section of the outline within the psalm itself?
List and describe the elements of the heart attitude that enable the psalmist to receive the anticipated blessing.
Application: Of the four parts of our attitude, which one do you struggle with the most, and why? How will you seek to improve in this area?
