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Psalm 14

Definition of the Fool:

One who is deficient of common powers of understanding, a person who acts absurdly; one who does not exercise his reason; one who pursues a course contrary to sound wisdom; one who follows his own inclinations, who prefers trifling and temporary pleasures.

 

  1. Only fools say in their hearts,

  “There is no God.”

  They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;

   not one of them does good!

            The biblical definition of a fool

  1. The Lord looks down from heaven

   on the entire human race;

   he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,

   if anyone seeks God.

God looks for the ones who seek God,

Lord look at me!

  1. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt.

  No one does good, not a single one!

 God cannot find the wise,

 Lord look at me!

  1. Will those who do evil never learn?

   They eat up my people like bread and

   wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.

 A fool does not think to pray,

 Lord help me to pray

  1. Terror will grip them, for God is with those who obey him.

  Fool, obey God or terror will grip you.

Terror comes from foolishness

  1. The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,

   but the Lord will protect his people.

The fool attacks the oppressed, and the Lord protects the oppressed that are His

  1. Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?

   When the Lord restores his people,

   Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.

In the end, God rescues the fool when the fool obeys.

 
 

SIMPLY YOU MATTER,

                       Because God seeks for the wise but will protect the fool

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PSALM 13

THE PROBLEM:
1    O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?

How long will you look the other way?

Question: Why?

 
2     How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,

with sorrow in my heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand?t

Question: why must I wait?

 
3    Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!

Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

Asking: for restoration.

 
4    Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”

Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

Asking: Don’t let them see me like this

 

WHAT TO DO WHEN WAITING.

5    But I trust in your unfailing love.

I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

Answer- trust and rejoice

 
6    I will sing to the Lord

because he is good to me.

Answer: sing

Why? Because God is good!

 If you notice God does not answer at this time,

but the Psalmist is trusting on what he knows to do.

 

Simply know that YOU MATTER,

and trust that God is working even when He is silent.

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Psalm 12 "He is our Help"

1.  Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!

When all seems lost

2   Neighbors lie to each other,
speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.

Suspicion of neighbors, the psalmist thinks kind words are deceit.

3.  May the Lord cut off their flattering lips
and silence their boastful tongues.

When we need help we Ask God to stop the talk

4.  They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.
Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”

Interesting the psalmist is now saying it is his own words that are lying.

5.  The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do.”

God sees and hears, and will answer the prayer

6.  The Lord’s promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.

His promises are true and pure, but at the same time, there is a refinement in the fire, not only once, but seven times.

7.  Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,
preserving them forever from this lying generation,

The Lord will protect

8.  even though the wicked strut about,
and evil is praised throughout the land.

Simply You Matter when the wicked are a problem. His promises are flawless for you and He knows how to protect you!

simply you

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PSALM 11

THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE
 
1  I trust in the Lord for protection.
So why do you say to me,
“Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!

The psalmist says he will trust, but the world says to flee

2  The wicked are stringing their bows
and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings.
They shoot from the shadows
at those whose hearts are right.

The enemy throwing out pain is real, our minds say run…

3  The foundations of law and order have collapsed.
What can the righteous do?”

What can we do when everything is collapsing around us?

4  But the Lord is in his holy Temple;
the Lord still rules from heaven.
He watches everyone closely,
examining every person on earth.

The psalmist knows who truly rules.

5  The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked.
He hates those who love violence.

Nothing is hidden from the Lord

6  He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked,
punishing them with scorching winds.

The Psalmist knows to leave the fight to the Lord

7  For the righteous Lord loves justice.
The virtuous will see his face.

The Lord is righteous and just.

 

SIMPLY YOU MATTER,

TO THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE

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PSALM 10

Complaints – No fair – whining
 
E9F5AA6C-A6EE-42E5-8412-085B5FF0EAA31   O Lord, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I am in trouble?

Why?

2   The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor.
Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.

We ask why and then tell God what we would do.

3 For they brag about their evil desires;
they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

We complain! And tell God how we see the enemy!

4 The wicked are too proud to seek God.
They seem to think that God is dead.

The Psalmist tells God the character of his enemy.

5 Yet they succeed in everything they do.
They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
They sneer at all their enemies.

The Psalmist sees them succeeding and

       cannot wait for God to smack them.
6 They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
We will be free of trouble forever!”

The Psalmist is telling God what the enemy is thinking.  almost enjoying imagining what will happen to them.

7 Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.
Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.

The psalmist dwelling on what they say.

8 They lurk in ambush in the villages,
waiting to murder innocent people.
They are always searching for helpless victims.

The psalmist thinking about what they are doing.

9  Like lions crouched in hiding,
they wait to pounce on the helpless.
Like hunters, they capture the helpless
and drag them away in nets.

 Now the psalmist is imagining whom they are like

10 Their helpless victims are crushed;
they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.

 One moment they are saying God will take care of them,

 and now they are proclaiming the wicked are strong.

11 The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us!
He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”

The psalmist knows God is watching, and you can read how excited the

psalmist is getting about the punishment that will happen.

12 Arise, O Lord!
Punish the wicked, O God!
Do not ignore the helpless!

 Now the psalmist is telling God what to do.

13 Why do the wicked get away with despising God?
They think, “God will never call us to account.”

  complaints

14 But you see the trouble and grief they cause.
You take note of it and punish them.
   The helpless put their trust in you.
  You defend the orphans.

 faith peeks through, barely

15 Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!
Go after them until the last one is destroyed.

  Oops back to complaining and telling God what to do

16 The Lord is king forever and ever!
The godless nations will vanish from the land.

Throwing another faith statement in there, but has to throw one more

jab about the wicked.

17 Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.
Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.

  Now it sounds like the psalmist is not so sure God will help.

18 You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,
so mere people can no longer terrify them.

The psalmist ends his little temper tantrum with the Statement “You will!”

Interesting, isn’t it? This is the kind of prayer we pray so much.

 

  • This psalm is actually a question asking why people get away with so much. V1
  • opinion is wrong people succeed. V5
  • telling God what to do V2,12
  • Imaginings of all the things that will happen when God finally takes action. V6-11
  • A few statements added to remind God who he is and what he can doV14,16
  • Many pray in complaints.
  • And in this psalm (prayer) God is silent

 
Simply you matter,
Even when we complain,