The Bible Recap

Day 138 (Psalm 26, 40, 58, 61-62, 64) - Year 6

SHOW NOTES: - Head to our Start Page for all you need to begin!- Join the RECAPtains- Check out the TBR Store- Show credits- Talking to God PodcastFROM TODAY’S RECAP:- Join the RECAPtains to receive bonus content!BIBLE READING & LISTENING:Follow along on the Bible App, or to listen to the Bible, try Dwell!SOCIALS:The Bible Recap: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | TikTokD-Group: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/XTLC: Instagram | FacebookD-GROUP:D-Group is brought to you by the same team that brings you The Bible Recap. TBR is where we read the Bible, and D-Group is where we study the Bible. D-Group is an international network of Bible study groups that meet weekly in homes, churches, and online. Find or start one near you today!DISCLAIMER: The Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh Cobble, and affiliates are not a church, pastor, spiritual authority, or counseling service. Listeners and viewers consume this content on a voluntary basis and assume all responsibility for the resulting consequences and impact.

Duration:: 8m
Broadcast on:: 17 May 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

SHOW NOTES:
- Head to our Start Page for all you need to begin!
- Join the RECAPtains
- Check out the TBR Store
- Show credits
- Talking to God Podcast

FROM TODAY’S RECAP:
- Join the RECAPtains to receive bonus content!

BIBLE READING & LISTENING:
Follow along on the Bible App, or to listen to the Bible, try Dwell!

SOCIALS:
The Bible Recap: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | TikTok
D-Group: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X
TLC: Instagram | Facebook

D-GROUP:
D-Group is brought to you by the same team that brings you The Bible Recap. TBR is where we read the Bible, and D-Group is where we study the Bible. D-Group is an international network of Bible study groups that meet weekly in homes, churches, and online. Find or start one near you today!

DISCLAIMER:
The Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh Cobble, and affiliates are not a church, pastor, spiritual authority, or counseling service. Listeners and viewers consume this content on a voluntary basis and assume all responsibility for the resulting consequences and impact.

Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. In the beginning of Psalm 26, it may seem like David is boasting about his righteousness, but as he continues on, he makes it clear that the source of his righteousness is God's steadfast love. That's what enables him to trust in God. In verse 3, he says he's walking in God's faithfulness, not his own. This is another crucial distinction. He loves the nearness of God and hates the things God opposes. This psalm was likely written about the time when so many of David's friends and family betrayed him and joined forces with his estranged son, Absalom. So the references to hypocrites and men of falsehood make a lot of sense. David used to walk closely with these men, so you can see why he would want to set himself apart from him now that they've shown their true colors. He wants to be markedly different as a man of integrity for the glory of God. He wants to be vindicated as he disassociates from the evil doers. Psalm 40 covers a lot of ground. This was written to be a corporate song, but it was almost certainly born out of a lot of David's personal experiences. If we zoom out on the timeline of his life, this psalm almost seems to fit his storyline perfectly so far. In verse 1, he waits patiently before the Lord, just as he waited fifteen years to be king. In verse 2, God drew him up out of the pit of destruction when psal was trying to destroy his life. And David continued to praise God, and God continued to bless David. He mentions repeatedly how he proclaimed God's goodness for all to hear. In song and in conversation and among large groups of people, he can't stop talking about God's goodness to him. But then things take a rough turn in verse 12, just like they did in David's life. His iniquity and sin, like with Bathsheba and Uriah, have overtaken him. They outnumber the hairs of his head. He asked God to rescue him from the consequences of his own sin, because as he says in verse 14, some of these people even want to take his life, like Absalom and Ahithophel did. In verse 17, David closes with a phrase that seems unsuited for a king. He says, "As for me, I am poor and needy." Really, David? But this statement actually points more to the state of his heart than to the size of his bank account. He knows that he has nothing to offer God. If you've ever read the sermon on the Mount where Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," this is what true spiritual poverty looks like. He's been humbled by his own sin and by the pursuit of his enemies, and he knows that God is his only hope. David's anger reaches a boiling point in Psalm 58, but he never crosses over into the territory of wanting selfish revenge. He only wants God to do justice, and David never sets out to attain justice for himself even though as king he could totally justify it. He trusts God to act because he knows God is a righteous judge. Things cool down a lot in Psalm 61. It was definitely written out of David's personal experience, but he's turned it into a corporate song. When you're reading these songs, you probably connect with a lot of the lines in them. Even though you've probably never had your kingdom overthrown by your son, you can still relate to the themes of what David is writing here. David had to flee his home and city, and he cries to God from the ends of the earth. God has been a refuge to him in the past, like he was when Saul sought his life. So David reminds himself in the midst of these bleak circumstances that God has come through for him before. David wants to go back to Jerusalem to the city God has set his name on so that he can draw near to God. He testifies not only to God's goodness to him, but also to God's goodness to his family through the years. In verse five, he says, "You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name." What a gift. If you come from a family who loves God, that's an incredible blessing. And if you come from a family that doesn't, how beautiful is it that God called you to himself despite the fact that he wasn't a priority in your family of origin? This verse would praise God just as much if it said, "You have called me to yourself despite my heritage." Whichever truth applies to you, God is glorified to bring all kinds of people into his family from all different backgrounds. I imagine David writing Psalm 62 while he's exiled from Jerusalem waiting to find out what will happen with Absalom. As those who betray him try to knock him down from his position, he knows that God is his rock and he trusts that he won't be shaken. He's been surrounded by hypocrites and liars and is just now finding out the truth. And David decides he'd rather keep silent than talk to anyone about it at all, because who knows who can be trusted, so he pours out his heart to God. God can be trusted. And even though the rank and position of man is ever-changing, rising and falling like the stock market, unpredictable and even volatile at times, God is solid ground. And not only that, but God is both powerful and loving, and he can be trusted to do what is right. Psalm 64 recounts the steps of David's enemies. Even though he wasn't there when Absalom was seeking counsel from both Eiffel and Hushai, David's words in verse 6 echo exactly what was happening. It says, "They search out injustice." Absalom was trying to establish the best plan for carrying out evil. Verse 7 says, "God shoots his arrows at them." And this reminds me of the three arrows Joab used to pierce through Absalom's heart. And it's even interesting how David's words at the end of the song where he says, "Let the righteous rejoice," are almost preaching to himself, because when we saw him last, he was mourning. Maybe soon he'll be able to rejoice in the Lord, even in the midst of the tragedy surrounding him. He's done it before when he lost a son, so we know it's possible. David knows how to take his sadness to God, because he knows worship and lament aren't mutually exclusive. My God shot came from Psalm 40 verses 6 through 8 today. In verses 6 and 8, David says, "In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Lord offering and sin offering you have not required, I delight to do your will, O God, your law is written within my heart." What does it tell us about God that we're seeing these verses in the Old Testament, in the very place where all the sacrifices and offerings are listed out as commands? What this shows us is that the sacrificial system God set up was never fully sufficient. It was never intended to be. Boats and bulls have never been enough. God has always been after our hearts, not our sacrifices. David says God doesn't delight in people giving him animals. Instead, God delights in being the giver, in giving people open ears that hear him and hearts that love him and delight in him in return. I've never sacrificed an animal, but I feel confident that reading his word is far more delightful to me than that would ever be. So I'm really grateful for the sacrificial death of Christ, for God given new ears and a new heart and an increasing delight in him. He's where the joy is. If you're up for spending an additional 90 seconds with me each day, we have another daily podcast called the Bible kneecap. It's a prayer that corresponds to each day's reading and recap. By the way, that's why we call it the Bible kneecap, because it's like kneeling in prayer. And let me tell you, the people who listen to this podcast say they love it. They say it not only rounds out each day well, but it's a helpful tool in teaching them how to pray. So if you want some prayer training or just some extra daily encouragement, join the recaptons at the Bible kneecap tier or higher. Sign up by visiting thebiblerecap.com/recaptons or click the link in the show notes. Ever find yourself at a loss for words when it comes to prayer? Hope Nations Pastor Chad will guide you through those moments in his podcast, Talking to God. Join Pastor Chad to learn more about prayer movements and common topics that resonate with your everyday needs. Click the link in the show notes to check it out. [BLANK_AUDIO]