Bible Study

Why do you think this psalm is composed so strangely?
Ted: I'm not sure. It is not clear at all who wrote it--probably not David. Anyway, any evaluation that I would have of it would be worthless. Probably the great Bible commentator C. H. Spurgeon's description of it would be worth reading, if you are interested:

http://www.biblebb.com/files/SPURGEON/TOD/chstp136.htm

Messianic Prophecy: "The LORD swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: 'One of your own descendants I will place on your throne—if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever'" (Psalm 132:11,12).

(Future) Fulfillment: "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'" Jesus, the Lamb, was the descendant of David who will be placed on the throne of Israel, forever and ever.

Messianic Prophecy: "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone" (Psalm 118:22).

Fulfillment: "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:10-13).


Messianic Prophecy: "O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you" (Psalm 118:25,26).

Fulfillment: "The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!'" (John 12:12,13).

Messianic Prophecy: "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet'" (Psalm 110:1). That is, God the Father says to our Lord, Jesus (the Messiah), that He will sit at His right hand until all of His enemies have been conquered.

Fulfillment: "Jesus asked them, 'What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?' 'The son of David,' they replied. He said to them, 'How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him "Lord"? For he says, "The Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet'"'" (Matthew 22:41-44).

Prophecy about Judas: "May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership" (Psalm 109:8).

Fulfillment: "(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 'For,' said Peter, 'it is written in the book of Psalms, "May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it," and, "May another take his place of leadership." Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us....'" (Acts 1:18-21).

"Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham. The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes, whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants" (Psalm 105:23-25).

This shows that it was predestined, by God, for His chosen people, Israel, to be mistreated and abused by the Egyptians. This was so that He could deliver them (using Moses and Aaron) out of bondage and (eventually) into the promised land (105:42-44).

Likewise, I believe that all bad things that happen to us (the ones elected by God to be saved) are foreordained by God so that He can deliver us from hardships and suffering. And, like the ancient Israelites, we ultimately will be taken into our "promised land" when Jesus returns.

"In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded" (Psalm 102:25,26).

This indicates that God created the heavens and the earth (that is, the universe). It also indicates that the heavens and the earth will perish. Like an old piece of clothing that wears out, this present creation will wear out and be discarded; that is, it will be destroyed by fire and will pass away at the time when all the unsaved are judged (2 Peter 3:7,10,12; Revelation 20:11). At that time, a new heavens and earth will be created, brand new (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1,5).

Messianic Prophecy: "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone" (Psalm 91:11,12).

Fulfillment: "Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone"'" (Matthew 3:5,6).

Messianic Prophecy: "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, 'I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.' ... He will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.' I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail" (Psalm 89:3,4,26-28).

Fulfillment: Jesus is in David's lineage or line of descendants (Matthew 1:1,6,16). After He returns back to earth, He will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15,17). Jesus was the only begotten Son of God the Father (John 3:16).

Messianic Prophecy: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old" (Psalm 78:2).

Fulfillment: "Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world"" (Matthew 13:34,35).

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Messianic Prophecy: "He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth" (Psalm 72:6-8).

Fulfillment: When Jesus returns, He will renovate and restore the earth to a glorious state. During His reign for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4,6), over the whole earth, all who accept His righteous rule will flourish and be prosperous. At the end of the Millennium, the moon will be no more, because all of this present creation will pass away and be replaced by a brand new Creation (20:11, 21:1,5).

Messianic Prophecy: "Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up" (Psalm 71:20).

Fulfillment: Jesus was subjected to many bitter troubles, including crucifixion. Then He was resurrected from the dead: "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay'" (Matthew 28:5,6).

Messianic Prophecy: "They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst" (Psalm 69:21).

Fulfillment: "There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it" (Matthew 24:34).


Messianic Prophecy: "God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there" (Psalm 69:35,36).

Verification: "Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,' declares the LORD Almighty. Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem'" (Zechariah 1:16,17).

Messianic Prophecy: "When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men..." (Psalm 68:18).

Fulfillment: "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: 'When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.' (What does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe)" (Ephesians 4:8-10).

Prophecy: "The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then men will say, 'Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth'" (Psalm 58:10,11).

Fulfillment (during the 70th Week): "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?'" (Revelation 6:9,10).

Messianic Prophecy: "If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend" (Psalm 55:12,13).

Fulfillment: "While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, 'Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?'" (Luke 22:47,48). Judas, not an enemy or foe but a companion and close friend of Jesus, was the one who betrayed Jesus.

"They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one" (Psalm 53:1-3). This is a further verification of Psalm 51:5, indicating that people are basically bad, not basically good.

Even children contain the rebellious, unruly, defiant sin nature. It reminds me of a two-year-old who is told to sit down in a chair by his mother--which, according to the commandment, "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12), is something that he should do. The kid throws a tantrum, screaming, "No! No! No!" and refuses to sit in the chair. The mom walks over, grabs him by the arm, and makes him sit down in the chair. He stays there, but he says, "My body is sitting down, but my mind is standing up!" So even though he is "going through the motions" of obedience, his heart is rebelling against his mother, just as our hearts rebel against God.

All of humanity has turned away from God. It is in our "genes" to do so. All of us are born with a sin nature. We may seek God at times, and we very well may be sincere when we do so. But then that nasty sin nature creeps back in, and we eventually will turn away. It is unavoidable.

The thing is that God demands perfection. In His Kingdom to come, He will expect His will to be done (Matthew 6:10), all of the time, without dispute. None of us, however, is perfect; we are incapable, in our present forms, to obey God all of the time. Thus, God had to come down, in the perfect form of Jesus, to show us that it is possible to conform to God's will fully and 100% of the time. He is our example, and all that the Father expects of believers, knowing that we are imperfect, is that we want to be like Jesus, doing everything that the Father asks without the slightest resistance or opposition. Our "blessed hope" is that, one day, we will be like Him (1 John 3:2), and never again will there be discord between God and us.


Messianic Prophecy: "Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!" (Psalm 53:6).

Fulfillment: Jesus came out of Israel, and He alone will bring salvation to the future remnant of Israel. When He returns to earth again, God will restore the fortunes of Israel promised millennia ago to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).

"Zion" usually refers to the Land of Israel. It also can be a reference to the Promised Land to come, when the Messiah also comes. "Zionism" is an ideology that looks forward to a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, where God will dwell among His chosen people forever.

King David, a highly righteous man, admitted to being sinful from conception: "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5). This is an indication that all of us are genetically sinful. People are not "basically good"; in fact, they are "basically evil," which is why they need a heavenly Savior to redeem them from their sins.

David also said, "Surely you desire truth in the inner part; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place" (Psalm 51:6). This is one of several of David's indications that God knew him in the womb. Even before birth, God was preparing David to be the great, wise man and King that He wanted him to be. Here is a clear indication of how serious an act abortion is, especially if we consider all the fetuses who have been aborted who would have been valuable assets to society...besides the fact that it is the murder of an innocent life.

"No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—that he should live on forever and not see decay" (Psalm 49:7-9). If Jesus had been only a man, His sacrifice could not have ransomed the lives of others. But since He also was God (Colossians 1:15,16; Hebrews 1:2, 3:3), His sacrifice was infinite and more than sufficient to atone for the sins of multitudes.

Messianic Prophecy: "But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself" (Psalm 49:15).

Fulfillment: "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay'" (Matthew 28:5,6).

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven'" (Acts 1:9-11).

Prophecy: "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts" (Psalm 46:2,3,6).

Fulfillments: "The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place" (Revelation 6:14).

"Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found" (Revelation 16:20).

"On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:25-27).

Messianic Prophecy: "In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds. Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet. Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom." (Psalm 45:4-6)

Fulfillment: "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.'" (Revelation 19:11,15)

Messianic prophecy: "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalm 41:9).

Fulfillment: "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: "He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.' I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He" (John 13:18,19).

Messianic prophecy: "...he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken" (Psalm 34:20).

Fulfillment: "The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken'" (John 19:32,33,36).

Messianic prophecy: "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (Psalm 31:5).

Fulfillment: "Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last" (Luke 23:46).

Much of Psalm 22 is prophetic of the humiliation and suffering that the Messiah (Jesus) would have to (and actually did) endure. Its author, King David, described many of the events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion in great detail about 1,000 years before they happened and about 700 years before crucifixion was even invented. Coincidentally, David was experiencing hard times at the time he wrote this; so most of Psalm 22 was a foreshadowing of what would happen to David's own descendant, Jesus.

Following is a collection of Bible references and/or explanations relating to the abuse Jesus sustained and the crucifixion He underwent. In each case, the first reference is the prophecy from Psalm 22, and what follows is the actual fulfillment in the New Testament.

1) Prophecy: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?" (Psalm 22:1).

Fulfimment: "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, [or Eli, Eli,] lama sabachthani?'--which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" (Matt. 27:46). (Incidentally, Eloi is "My God" in Aramaic. However, Eli, in Hebrew, not only means "My God" but also is short for "Eliyahu" (Elijah); so, since some thought Jesus was crying out for Elijah (27:47), He must have been speaking Hebrew, not Aramaic.)

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Psalm 19:1-4 parallels Romans 1:20 in describing how all creation "speaks" about God as its Creator. People of every nation should understand this message, because there is no speech or language where the "voice" of creation is not heard. People are "without excuse" if they to not see God's eternal power and divine nature in all of creation.

Psalm 16:9,10 is another Messianic prophecy: "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay." In the grave, Jesus "resurrected secure," knowing that He would be resurrected on the third day. He knew that the Father would not abandon Him to the grave, nor would His body see decay.

David said, "LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?" (Psalm 15:1). As many of the things written by David, I believe that this is a Messianic passage--that is, a prediction of the time when the Messiah (Jesus) would come to earth, in this case the second time.

When Jesus returns again, He will build (or have built--it isn't clear which) the Millennial Temple (that is, sanctuary), which will sit atop the Holy Mountain in Jerusalem (see millennial Temple and Holy Mountain). From within that temple, Jesus will rule and reign over the earth.

No one ever has been the perfect person, other than Jesus. He alone was blameless, righteous, and always spoke truth (Psalm 15:2). He is the only one worthy of dwelling in that sanctuary, as well as anyone He chooses to join Him there (such as the resurrected David).

Psalm 2:

Many have been puzzled about what King David was writing about in Psalm 2. It talks about the kings of the earth taking their stand against the Lord and His Anointed One (Psalm 2:2)--that is, God and the Messiah, Jesus. It is a description of the kings of the earth being gathered to the place called Armageddon (Revelation 16:16) to come against Jesus.

Clearly, Psalm 2 is referring to Jesus:

• "You are my Son; today I have become your Father" (Psalm 2:7) -- Jesus is the Son of God.
• "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession" (2:8) -- Jesus will rule and reign over the entire earth when He returns.
• "You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery" (2:9) -- This will happen, according to Revelation 2:27, 12:5, 19:15.

The questions many people have is this: Will the kings be gathering in anticipation of Jesus' descent to earth from heaven? If so, how is it that they will know when He is coming? Will they be shaking their fists at Him in the air, as He is descending, threatening to attack Him?

The problem with all of these questions is that their eschatological assumptions are wrong. What many fail to see is that, in Psalm 2, Jesus already will have been installed on His holy hill in Zion (Jerusalem) before the kings gather to do battle with Him.

The sequence of events is that Jesus will return, at the very end of the final seven years, to destroy the armies of Gog/Magog, who will be ransacking and destroying Jerusalem (see treading the winepress). There will be a 30-day period, during which the Bowl Judgments will be poured out upon most of the world, other than Israel. God will be rebuking the followers of the Antichrist in His anger and terrifying them in His wrath (Psalm 2:5). The kingdom of the beast/Antichrist will be adversely affected by these judgments (for instance, Revelation 16:10); yet people will curse God and refuse to repent (16:9,11).

Before long, they will have had enough. They will say, "Let us break their chains and throw off their fetters" (Psalm 2:3). God will warn the kings of the earth to serve His Son (Jesus), because His wrath can flare up at any moment (2:11,12). Instead, they will choose to gather in the plains of Megiddo in Israel, plotting to take a stand against the Anointed One (Psalm 2:2) and to make war against Jesus, the Lamb; but He "will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings" (Revelation 17:14). Thus, they will have conspired and plotted in vain (Psalm 2:1).

Jesus later says: "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms" (Luke 24:44).

Many of the Psalms contain prophetic messages about Jesus, which we will outline in our discussions.