Psalms 69 - 72 (with 3 topics)

Psalm 69 A psalm for the director of music (chief musician); shoshannim (to the tune of a well-known melody, 'Lilies'-- as is Psa 45). Said to: address being overwhelmed; provide forgiveness. Texted in grape are the passages (vv. 4a, 9a, 22-23, 25) that are quoted in the N.T. (see Psalms 12 - 18 Psalm 15 2. N.T. Quotes from Psalms B.). As usual, that texted in blue (practically the entire psalm) is prayer; what sets this apart is that it is a prophetic prayer-- the apricot highlighting indicates Jesus will say it:

  Save Me, O GOD, for the waters have come up to My neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf Me. I am worn out calling for help; My throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for My GOD. Those who hate Me without reason outnumber the hairs of My head; many are My enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy Me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal-- I wish this was quoted in the N.T., as in the song lyric, He paid a debt He did not owe. But note Isa 40:2bd, Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, that she has received from the LORD’S Hand double for all her sins.

  YOU know My folly, O GOD; My guilt (recall how he bore the sins of the world) is not hidden from YOU.

For I endure scorn for YOUR Sake, & shame covers My face. I am a stranger to My brothers, an alien to My own mother's sons; for zeal for YOUR House consumes Me, & the insults of those who insult YOU fall on Me. When I weep & fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on My sackcloth, people make sport of Me. Those who sit at the gate mock Me, & I am the song of the drunkards.

  But I pray to YOU, O LORD, in the time of YOUR Favor (when YOU may be found); in YOUR Great Love, O GOD, answer Me with YOUR coming eternal Salvation. Rescue Me from the mire, do not let Me sink; deliver Me from those who hate Me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf Me or the depths swallow Me up or the pit close its mouth over Me, do not hide YOUR Face from YOUR Servant; answer Me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near & rescue Me; redeem Me because of My foes. YOU know how I am scorned, disgraced & shamed; all My enemies are before YOU.

  Scorn has broken My heart & has left Me helpless; I looked for sympathy (lamenting-- see Psa 142:4-5), but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in My food & gave Me vinegar for My thirst (Matt 27:34,48; Mark 15:23,36; John 19:28-30). See below, Gall, Vinegar & Living Water.

  I will praise GOD'S Name in song & glorify HIM with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more then an ox sacrifice, more than a bull with its horns & hoofs. The poor (humble) will see & be glad-- you who seek GOD, may your hearts live! The LORD hears the needy & does not despise HIS Captive People. Let Heaven & earth praise HIM, the seas & all that move in them, for GOD will save Zion & rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there & possess it; the children of HIS Servants will inherit it, & those that love HIS Name will dwell there.

1. Gall, Vinegar & Living Water ref. the gall & vinegar offered to Jesus on the cross (spoken about in Psa 69:21 above); ref. the importance of sacrifice:

a. Matt 27:34,45,48-- underlined are the only differences:

• Earlier: v. 34 says that at an early point in the crucifixion Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall; but after tasting it , He refused to drink it;
• Later: in vv. 45 & 48, after saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sebachtheni-- which means, My GOD, My GOD, why have YOU forsaken Me?, some thinking He had lost His marbles & was calling for Elijah, 1 ran & got a sponge filled with pure wine vinegar (no mention if He drank it).

b. Mark 15:23,34,36-- underlined is the only difference:

• Earlier: v. 23 says that at an early point in the crucifixion Jesus  was offered wine mixed with myrrh-- but He did not even take it;
• Later: in vv. 34 & 36, after saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sebachtheni-- which means, My GOD, My GOD, why have YOU forsaken Me?, some thinking He had lost His marbles & was calling for Elijah, 1 man ran, filled with pure wine vinegar (again, no mention if He drank it).

 Point is, if you focus on the slight differences (gall, myrrh & tasting it), you miss the significances:

• Earlier: When they rightly assumed Him to be sane, they offered Him a delusional wine-mix (symbolizing the ways-of-the-world);
• Later: When they wrongly assumed Him to be delusional, they offered Him the pure wine vinegar-- thinking it to be living water.

c. About Christians & the True Living Water-- the importance of Sacrifice!

2 vital points:

1. By virtue of His death & resurrection, Jesus became the true living water-- which does not automatically befall us, but is to be acquired;
2. How can it be acquired? It is also written, Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt And what does salt do? It draws in water-- & the Word of GOD guarantees that the water absorbed is living water (recall that with such sacrifices GOD is well pleased is from the N.T.!).

2. "Within/Without the radar" Blessings/Curses requested/pronounced In Psa 20, 35 & 70 there are several instances in the Psalms of blessings/curses being probably requested/possibly pronounced "within/without the radar"  (those "within the radar" were likely requested in delegation to God's authority (of course, in O.T. times, that would be according to the understanding at the time), as the psalm goes back-&-forth from the godhead being addressed/referred to in the 2nd & 3rd person (the speaker himself commonly is referred to as the 1st person); those "without the radar" were only possibly in delegation to God's authority, as throughout the entire psalm the godhead is only referred to as the 3rd person (those psalms-- & I don't think that ever happens --unquestionably not in delegation to God's authority would be those in which the godhead is never referred to-- remember, in actuality the entire world, & everybody in it, are within  the God-radar whether they admit it or not). We have:

• blessings being probably requested "within" in Psa 40, 67, 69 (above) & 70 (below);
• blessings being possibly pronounced "without" in Psa 20, 68 & 72 (below);
• curses being possibly pronounced "without" in Psa 35 & 40;
• curses being probably requested "within" in 40, 67, 69 (above) & 70 (below).

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Psalm 72 A psalm by Solomon. Said to provide leadership:

Endow the king with YOUR Justice, O GOD, the royal son with YOUR Righteousness.

Below are Far Distant prophecies-- within them 15 blessings are possibly pronounced "without the radar (not in prayer)." Below the prophecy are 6 more blessings (total, 21) also  possibly pronounced "without the radar"-- all are explained above in Psalm 69 2. "Within/Without the radar"):

1. HE will (May HE) judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
2. The mountain will (May the mountains) bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.
3. HE will (May HE) defend the afflicted among the people & save the children of the needy;
4. HE will (May HE) crush the oppressor.
5. HE will endure (May YOU be feared) as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.
6. HE will (May HE) be like the rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
7. In HIS Days the righteous will (may the righteous) flourish;
8. prosperity will (may prosperity) abound till the moon is no more.
9. HE will (May HE) rule from sea to sea & from the (Euphrates) River to the ends of the earth (land).
10. The desert tribes will (May the desert tribes) bow before HIM &
11. HIS Enemies will (May HIS Enemies) lick the dust.
12. The kings of Tarshish & of distant shores will (May the kings of Tarshish & of distant shores) bring tribute to HIM;
13. the kings of Sheba & Seba will (may the kings of Sheba & Seba) present HIM gifts.
14. All kings will (May all kings) bow down to HIM &
15. all nations will (may all nations) serve HIM.

1. May gold from Sheba be given HIM.
2. May people ever pray for HIM & bless HIM all day long.
3. Let grain abound through the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway because the soil is wet even there.
4. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the wild, uncultivated, purposeless grass of the field.
5. May HIS Name (HE) endure forever;
6. may it continue as long as the sun.

Far Distant prophecy All nations will be blessed through HIM, & they will call HIM blessed. EOP

• Praise be to the LORD GOD, the GOD of Israel, who alone does marvelous things.
• Praise be to HIS Glorious Name forever; may the whole earth be filled with HIS Glory.

Amen & amen (Doxology).

This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse-- end of Book 2 of the Psalms, which began with Psalm 42.

1. Origins & occurrences of Seba & Sheba  Its only been approximated when the creation of the earth occurred; it has not been determined exactly when Noah built the ark. Thus the approximate dates:

c3000 B.C. Noah built the ark. According to Gen 9:18; 1stCh 1:4 The direct sons of Noah were Shem, Ham & Japheth. V. 10 of the above psalm (reportedly written by/for Solomon after 1100 B.C.-- see c1050 below) names Seba & Sheba as having 2 of the kings that would bring/present tribute/gifts to Him (Solomon). These Gen & 1stCh passages name 1 Seba & 2 Sheba's. Note below that while there was only 1 other mention of Seba (700 B.C.), there were many mentions of Sheba:

• Sheba may have been Seba’s nephew (or grandnephew/great grandnephew/etc.) through Ham & Raamah. According to Gen 10:6-7; 1stCh 1:8-9 The sons (descendants/successors/nations) of Ham were Cush, et al.; the sons of Cush were Seba & Raamah, et al.; the sons of Raamah were Sheba, et al.; or
• Sheba may have been Seba’s 2nd-cousin-3x-removed (or 4x-removed/5x-removed/etc.) through Ham & Shem. According to Gen 10:6-7,22-26; 1stCh 1:8-9,17-20 The sons of Ham were Cush, et al.; the sons of Cush were Seba, et al.; the sons of Raamah were Sheba, et al. The sons of Shem were Arphaxad, et al.; the sons of Arphaxad were Shelah, et al. (note the spelling); the sons of Shelah were Joktan, et al.; the sons of Joktan were Sheba, et al.

c1900 B.C. there are 2 mentions of Sheba, in <1> Gen 25:3 <2> Job 6:19 <1> Abraham took another wife [likely as a widower, in his old age, as this was well after they were in Canaan-- for Abraham & Sarah's son Isaac was already married (indeed, Gen 24:1 says Abraham was now old & well advanced in years)], whose name was Keturah. She bore Him Jokshan, et al. Jokshan was the father of Sheba, et al. <2> The caravans of Tema look for water, the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope.

c1300 B.C. there is another mention of Sheba, in Jsh 19:1-2 When the inheritances were determined for the tribes of Israel (Jsh 13:1 has When Joshua was old, the LORD said, there are still very large areas of land to be taken over): The 2nd lot came out for the tribe of Simeon within the territory of Judah. It included: Beersheba (or Sheba), et al. Beersheba, a town within Sheba, means 7th well of Sheba.

c1050 B.C. there are several mentions (besides in the title of the above psalm) of Bathsheba, in 2ndSa <1> 11:2-5 <2> 12:24-25; 1stKi 1:11-31; 2:13-19 <1> Shortly after David became king over all Jerusalem, while already having at least 7 wives (listed were just the ones he had children by?;  were they still living?; the 1st, Michal, Saul's daughter, who was yet living when David brought the ark into Jerusalem, was given, at some point by Saul, to another man; there was Michal, Jezreel, Abigail, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, & Eglah-- see 1stSa 18:27; 25:39-44; 2ndSa 3:2-5): 1 evening David got up from His bed & walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof He saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, & David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, 'Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Elam & the wife of Uriah the Hittite?' Then David sent messengers to get Her. She came to Him, & He slept with Her. (After she had purified herself from Her uncleanness.) She went back home. The woman had conceived & sent word to David, saying, 'I am pregnant.' <2> After David had arranged for Uriah to die; after David married Bathsheba; after the unnamed son died: Then David comforted His wife Bathsheba, & He went into Her & lay with Her. She gave birth to a son, & They named Him Solomon. The LORD loved Him; HE sent word through Nathan the prophet to name Him Jedediah (Loved by the LORD-- he was never called that at any point in the future; makes you wonder if that determined Solomon's straying).

c1000 B.C. there are several mentions of Sheba, in 2ndSa 20:1-3,5-22 Well after David was king over all Israel: Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bicri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet. So all the men of Israel deserted David. But all the men of Judah stayed by Their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem. When David returned to His palace in Jerusalem, He took the 19 concubines He had left to take care of the palace & put them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but did not lie with them. They were kept in confinement, living as widows (i.e., permanent repentance-- another reason it is said, David had a heart after GOD).

c950 B.C. there are several mentions of the queen of Sheba, in 1stKi 10:1-5,10:10-13; 2ndCh 9:1-12 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon & His relation to the Name of the LORD, she came to test Him with hard questions. Arriving at Jerusalem with a great caravan, she came to Solomon & talked with Him about all that she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon & the palace He had built, & the burnt offerings He made at (ascent by which He went up to) the Temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed-- a scintillating glimpse of the early part of his kingship, before He loved many foreign women; before He had 700 wives of royal birth & 300 concubines, & His wives led Him astray; before as Solomon grew old, His wives turned His heart after other gods, & His heart was not fully devoted to the LORD His GOD, as the heart of David His father had been.

c700 B.C. after the original mention (c1900 B.C.), there is only 1 other mention of Seba, in Isa 43:1,3: But now this is what the LORD says– HE who created You, O Jacob: Fear not, for I have redeemed You; I give Egypt for Your ransom, Cush (the upper Nile region) & Seba in Your stead.

c690 B.C. there is another mention of Sheba, in the portion of the Far Distant prophecy ref. Judah in Isa 60:6 Herds of camels will cover Your land, young camels of Midian & Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold & incense & proclaiming the Praise of the LORD.

c620 B.C. there is another mention of Sheba, in Jer 6:20 Having heard the prophecy some 70 yrs. earlier that the nations of the world would pay tribute to Judah, the Lord had this to say: What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings (approaches to ME) are not acceptable; Your sacrifices do not please ME.

c580 B.C. there are other mentions of Sheba, in Eze <1> 27:22-23 <2> 38:13 <1> A description of Tyre (near the NW extremity of Israel), prior to a prophecy against it: The merchants of Sheba & Ramaah [the Ramaah that was Sheba's father? (see c3000 B.C. above)] traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices & precious stones, & gold. Haran, Canneh & Eden & merchants of Sheba, et al., traded with you. <2> Now a prophecy against Gog, of the land of Magog-- 1 of the sons of Japheth, per Gen 10:2 (see Eze 38:1 & c3000 B.C. above), Sheba & Dedan & the merchants of Tarshish & all her Arabian villages (strong lions) will say to you, ' Have you come to plunder (are you challenging our leadership of world trade).'