WORD STUDY DAVID דוד

Transcription

1 דוד DAVID WORD STUDY Psalms 51:1: To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. We move to the next name mentioned in this Psalm. As indicated in the last study each name tells a story in the Hebrew. There is a story to be told from David s name within the context of this Psalms. We learn that this is a Psalm of David, but in the Hebrew it is a Psalm to David. Translators, of course, know that this is a Psalm written by David and not someone else. Clearly the whole context of the Psalm is David speaking his heart. Yet, the Hebrew uses the prefix Lamed before the name of David which is practically always rendered as to or unto. But then, as I always say, the Classical Hebrew is a very ambiguous language and so the context trumps the traditional use of the preposition. But does it really? Not if we look at the meaning behind the name of David. Then it begins to make a lot of sense why the preposition Lamed or unto is used. Rather than use simply the name David, let s use one of the meanings behind the word David which is beloved. Now we have the rendering: To the chief musician and unto a beloved. To me that is oh so powerful. Here is a man who has committed adultery and murder yet he is still a beloved. God has forgiven David but yet David still feels overwhelmed with shame and loathsomeness. Yet he is still a beloved of God.

2 There is the story in the Talmud about a king who had a disobedient son. After continual disobedience and rebellion the king declares that he cannot look upon his son again. Yet, he tells a servant to make sure that if his son is ever in need or want of anything, he is to give it to his son. The servant ask: Why give him anything if he is disobedient? The king replied: I still love my son and I do not want him to be in want of anything, however, I cannot look upon him for his disobedience so you must provide for him for me. This first verse in Psalm 51 practically tells us the whole moral or lesson of this story. That lesson is that no matter how badly we sin we are still a beloved of God. My study partner made the comment yesterday that if God gives us a promise the only sin that could keep God from holding back his promise is if we make it impossible for Him to fulfil that promise. Take for instance a woman who wants to get married. She receives a promise from God that she will have a husband. Yet she falls into sin and falls in love with a man who is not God s promise. But she is so desperate to get married she convinces herself this is God s promise. But because of her sin she no longer has discernment of God s will. So she marries this man who turns out to be a non believer who abuses her and cheats on her. About this time the man who was God s promise comes along, but it is too late she is already married so he finds someone else. No matter what our sin, we will always be a beloved of God and He will always fulfill his promises to us. It is just that our sin makes it impossible for Him to fulfill that promise. Let s take a closer look at this word for David. It comes from the root word dod. In its Semitic origins it means to agitate,

3 to boil over, to disturb and in the Akkadian language it is used for a cauldron. You can see how the word reached the point of being defined as beloved. If someone is a beloved you are just boiling over with love, it agitates your emotions and disturbs your emotions when you beloved walks into a room. Have you ever been on a date and your date goes to the restroom and goes over to talk with someone. If that date is a beloved and does not return right away you start to become agitated, disturbed until your beloved returns and then everything feels normal again, you are no longer disturbed or agitated. You relax and are at peace. So we see a little more of this story from the word David. David is so in love with God and God with him that if there is any separation they are agitated and disturbed. Read this whole Psalm and you will get a feeling that David is very disturbed and agitated over his separation from God. When David sinned he was separated from God. As a pastor I counseled many couples who were separated. They were still in love but due to some issues they were separated. Yet still being in love they just could not stand being separated from their mate. They felt agitated, disturbed, they were like a boiling cauldron. During the separation of God and David they both felt agitated, disturbed, things were no right they just wanted their beloved to be there again. Once David confessed his sin and God forgave him that relationship was restored and he and God were at peace again. The word beloved has another form yadiyad. This comes from the root word for David and means beloved friend. In a literal sense it means hand yad in hand yad. Often the first

4 physical contact between two potential lovers is a bisexual interdigital relationship (holding hands). Today we shake hands and think nothing about it. It has not been too many years ago that a handshake meant something. Business deals were made with a handshake, a show of friendship was made with a handshake. In ancient times friends would hold hands. Not for any sexual experience, but simply as a gesture that they were a beloved friend. When I drive my disability bus, I will often take the hand of an elderly person, especially this time of year when there is snow and ice on the ground. I just lightly take their hand, it is not enough to ensure that they do not fall, but it is enough to assure them that if they were to stumble, I would be there for them. So too with our relationship with God, it is yadiyad hand in hand. God gently takes our hand just lightly, not enough to keep us from falling but if we do stumble, He will be there for us. WORD STUDY THE WORSHIP מנצח LEADER

5 Psalms 51:1: To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. The very first verse in this Psalms introduces us to five people, a chief musician, David, Nathan Bathsheba and God. It is not uncommon for Semitic literature to use allegorical names. Archeologists have found no evidence of anyone named David, Abraham, and Isaac etc. But they have found evidence of people like that with different names. Unless God specifically ask that someone be named a certain name, I doubt the name we have in the Bible is the same that these people were known as while on earth. I believe God has given everyone a name and we will learn it when we get to heaven. I believe the names of most of the people in the Bible are their heavenly names and not the names their parents gave them and by which they were known while on earth. I also believe that each name in Hebrew tells us the story of that person. Embedded in the name of everyone even those of all the begets you will find their story.

6 So let s take a look at these four names that introduce us to this Psalm. I believe each name tells us a story, a story of worship and a message about worship for those who serve on a worship team or are a worship leader. To help me with this I asked my study partner and the drummer from our worship team in church to assist me in this study. Now keep in mind this is a story of David s cry from restoration to God after his sin with Bathsheba. Yet, we learn in II Samuel 12:13 that God forgave David before he even asked for forgiveness. So what is this Psalm all about with his plea for a clean heart and removal of sin? I believe the answer is found in this story told by the five names addressed in this Psalm The first name is one we do not consider a proper name, it is just the chief musician. It is the word Natsach and I capitalize it because I think it should be a proper name. David presented this Psalm to Natsach. Who is Natsach. I think the translators who render this as chief musician probably have it right but a more modern expression would be worship leader. Natsach means leader. The context tells us this leader leads in musical worship. The word comes from a Semitic root which means to be brilliant to stand out, to be pure. In this name we see a clue as to why David is still seeking forgiveness. Our worship team representative told how there are times he does not feel pure before God when he sits to play the drums for the worship service. He realizes that he cannot lead others in worship if his heart is not pure. I understand, when I come to the worship service I expect my worship leaders to have a pure heart for I am also coming to them like David came to his worship leader, Natsach with his plea for restoration and he assumes his worship leader has a pure heart so he can draw from that purity. A worship leader

7 without a pure heart, who is going through the motions, copying other worship leaders, trying to impress the congregation is going to fool no one. Believers can spot the phony because we believers are desperate to follow the lead of someone with a pure heart. So why the chief musician or worship leader? Our worship leader told us that when he feels impure he does confess his sin to God but he still feels impure. Yet as he begins to worship God in playing his musical instrument, he begins to feel God s presence and the more he feels the presence of God the more his faith grows to believe he really has been forgiven for God would not share his presence with him if he were not forgiven. When I come into a worship service I feel guilty, I know I have sinned before God and I have confessed it, but I still feel that separation from God and I question if I have been forgiven. However, as I draw upon the worship presented by our worship leaders I begin to feel God s presence and the more I do the more my faith grows that I am indeed forgiven. Natsach (worship leader) also means to be brilliant and to stand out. Sometimes you watch your worship leaders and their faces are almost aglow, it is almost like they have a brilliant light and they stand out among the congregation. I believe David saw this glow on Natsach so he shared his pain with him hoping he would experience that presence of God like Natsach. We need to be around other believers. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:25: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. God has forgiven us but sometimes we do not forgive ourselves or we are just not sure. But once God has forgiven us there is no reason we cannot enjoy His presence.

8 Thus we must gather with others who are forgiven to exhort us to join them in worship and in so doing worship becomes a Natsach, a purifying process. The job of the Natsach (worship leader) is to begin and lead in a purifying process. The purpose of worship is to purify us, not in the sight of God, that has already been done, but in our sight and that of the other believers. For David to share this highly personal Psalm with the worship leader, the Natsach, means he was making his sin public knowledge. Not saying we have to do that, David was a king, the pastor of his nation, it behooved him as a leader to make his sin known and to assure everyone that God had forgiven him. Also David was desperate to be restored to the presence of God that he went to the one who himself was a Natsach a shining light of the presence of God, to lead him in worship where he would again feel the presence of God and know he was truly forgiven. The first story or instruction in worship told in this Psalms from Natsach is that our worship leader must himself be pure and must realize that he is leading not just a worship and praise to God but also leading the saints in a purifying process.

9 חסד MERCY WORD STUDY Psalms 51:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Unless you are really rank liberal you will probably not question the authorship of this Psalms. It not only specifically names David as the author but actually relates to a specific occasion for this Psalm which is when Nathan the prophet confronted David s sin of adultery and murder (II Samuel 12:1-13). He does it in a most gentle way, at least I can think of no more gentle way of telling a guy he is an adulterer and murderer by telling him the story. As a king civil and criminal cases were presented to him and he determined the verdict. So Nathan presents to David an offense and asks him what his verdict would be. Nathan tells of a family who had one little ewe lamb that they cared for, loved and treated like a member of the family, it was like a daughter to this poor man. Then there is this rich man with many flocks of sheep. He had a visitor come and instead of taking from his own flock he takes this poor man s one little ewe lamb and slaughters it and serves it to his guest. The wealthy man probably had a legal right to the ewe lamb as the suggestion is that the poor man was indebted to the rich man. When Nathan asks David what should be done about this heartless rich man David s anger burned within him and

10 declared that the man was not fit to live, however, since this was not a capital crime he should follow the law as described in Exodus 22:1 and repay the man fourfold. Of course Nathan then pointed out to David that he was that rich man. This Psalms expresses the grief that David felt over the realization of the effects of his sin. He had committed two capital crimes under Jewish law and he should have been put to death, but before he even asked, God had forgiven him (II Samuel 12:13). Nathan predicted a heavy consequence as a result of this sin, yet we learn in Psalms 51 that this is not what brings David to grief. David s grief, as we will lean in this Psalm, is in his separation from the presence of God. I found something very curious in this Psalm. Throughout the Psalm David refers to God as Elohim and not YHWH. The sages teach that when the word Elohim which is masculine is used for God it represents the protection, provision and discipline of the Lord. When the word YHWH is used which is in a feminine form it represents the nurturing, loving and caring nature of God. It would appear that for David to use the word Elohim He wants to face God as a judge. He is ready to accept whatever the consequences of his sin might be, but what he cannot accept is to be alienated from his God. David s first plea is for mercy. Now what is he asking mercy for? Is it for deliverance from the consequences of his sin? I don t think so for the reason mentioned above because he does not call God YHWH but Elohim. Also after twelve verses of pleas for a clean heart and forgiveness he reveals where is heart is really at. It is not that he is asking God: Spare me my kingdom, spare me the disgrace, spare me from any loss, but in verse 13 we learn he says Cast me not away from thy presence. For this he asked for mercy.

11 The word mercy in Hebrew backs this up. The Hebrew word used here is chesed which is rendered many different ways, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, favor, pity and sometimes as beauty. However in its Semitic origins it has the idea of reproach or shame. This evolved to mean mercy because when someone feels shame and reproach after offending someone they will plead for forgiveness so that their relationship will be restored. This really fits David, he is so filled with shame and remorse that he can only plead with God to overlook it so he can be restored to his relationship with God. The point here is that chesed is a relationship word. Mercy or chesed is given to restore a relationship. Today we use mercy for more than the restoration of a relationship, we use it be spared the penalty for a fault or error. When we make a big mistake we plead for mercy from our boss so we don t get docked our pay or even fired. That is not chesed. That is not the mercy we find David seeking in Psalms 51. Even today we talk of seeking mercy from God so we will not suffer the consequences of our sins like judgment or hell. That is not what mercy is all about at least from the Hebrew word chesed. That is something else. When we seek mercy from God we are seeking, like David, restoration of our relationship with God, nothing more. King Saul was a man who followed the laws of God, as far as we know he only had one wife and was faithful to her. King Saul was basically a good man but he was disobedient. The ax fell when he was getting ready to go to battle but knew he could not go to battle without first offering a sacrifice and Samuel

12 was the one to offer that sacrifice. But Samuel was a no show, tensions were rising, the enemy was getting ready to attack and his men were about to desert because Saul would not move until he made the sacrifice. He was after all, a good religious man. So he finally took matters in his own hands and offered the sacrifice. Samuel walked up and said: Saul, how could you, you know this is in disobedience to God. You have now lost your kingdom. Saul immediately repented and plead with Samuel to go with him before the people to declare his sin. Samuel said: Forget it God will not forgive you. God would not forgive Saul for his disobedience, but along comes David who commits adultery and murder and God forgives him before even asking, Why? Because David sought mercy. Sure Saul sought mercy too, but it was not chesed, he wanted mercy to protect his own gizzard. David wanted chesed, he wanted to protect his relationship with God. Why do you try to avoid sin? When you do sin why do you confess it seeking forgiveness? Are you afraid God will not bless you, maybe punish you or maybe you will go to hell? Forget it, God will not give you chesed (mercy) for you are not seeking chesed or mercy. You are only seeking forgiveness to protect your own gizzard like King Saul. But if you seek chesed mercy to restore a relationship like David, the God will grant that before you even ask. Because, like David, you are a person after God s own heart. You are someone who, like David, who loves God so much that he understands God s heart and fears wounding the heart of the God.