Category: Wisdom Stream

Posted on

May 16


Download

Psalms 49-54

We are in the Wisdom Stream today. Dr. Drake is covering for Serena who is out with laryngitis. We are reading from the Common English Bible this week.

7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | @drakewtravis

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God we thank you for the strength, courage and we can draw from these Psalms. These are common men you engaged to have them later speak to us. Thank you.  You lived in them. You live in us. Therefore let us be strengthened in the joy of the Lord. Amen

Psalm 49 – opens with a herald of “hear ye, hear ye …”  It’s a memo of all hearts, young/old, rich/poor, wise/fool.  These Sons of Korah (the writers) reverence God and fear nothing in this world. The one thing that always wins on this earth; and has the last say is the grave. All are headed there. So of all the things we are to hope in ultimately is that God will redeem and take us to himself. This hope supersedes all hopes. Riches, wisdom, time – the things that most people spend their lives trying to gain are all destined to pass with us.  So look to God for redemption.
50 – Here is another Psalm that was sung in the Temple. It certainly is regal. God does what He does in all His natural glory and magnificent splendor. God speaks and gathers His own. Amid all He does, God is mindful of us. It’s like in this Psalm, He is stopping in to assure and encourage us to keep living for Him, remaining thankful, and honoring Him – for He delivers us from trouble. As for the wicked: The total opposite awaits them. The are unteachable, they steal, visit whores, lie, cheat, even bash their own families! They better reckon and walk right or God will tear them to pieces —> with no one to rescue.
51 – David’s soul has hit bottom (though he was at the top of his world). There wasn’t an army he couldn’t beat, a territory he couldn’t attain, he was honored over the known world. Then during some “down time”, he stole a man’s wife. When he gets rebuked for it, he confesses and repents. We read this story in the history stream last week; II Sam.11&12 . Of all the great things David did, one wise old preacher said, that this prayer, this confession from Ps. 51 was David’s greatest move. He wants mercy and a renewed relationship with God. David knows about God’s unfailing love and He calls upon that love with all earnestness. David’s broken spirit IS his sacrifice to God. This Psalm that David was transparent enough to utter, has been and still is, an inspiration to billions of Believers throughout all time.
52 – David had learned that an Edomite; Doeg had run and told Saul about David’s whereabouts and thus Saul resumed his heated chase to find and kill David.  Well David has a word for Doeg-the-tattler and we find it here in Psalm 52.  The setting of this writing was in I Sam. 21:7 and 22:9.  Doeg’s presence was incidental but his obvious commitment to Saul over David is found out and is therefore what birthed this harsh word against him. God would ruin Doeg for this, though David would continue to thrive.
53 – Could this Psalm be called “The Tune of The Athiests”?  The Hebrews knew all about this concept that God’s goodness is followed or there is no good found anywhere because man on earth does not manufacture goodness. This phrasing is quoted near verbatim in Psalm 14, Paul says these words 1K/yrs later in Romans 3:10-12.  It’s the other end of the spectrum from modern-day pagans and New Agers who we may find chanting, “visualize smiles and loving worlds…visualize random kindness!” [poof]  The godless turn out to be hollow and fearful and they end up scattered.
54 – This Psalm, as in #52, is written in response to people giving away David’s location to Saul. This time it was the people of Ziph (far SE of Jerusalem). You can brief that at your leisure in I Sam. 26. David’s reaction is to call to God (as he always does) to be saved, defended, and heard in his prayers.  The contrast of the lives and spirit of those who are against God and of those who are for God is so stark. David again ends up victorious in triumph.
Posted on

May 9


Download

Psalms 42-48

We are in the Wisdom Stream and beginning Book 2 of 5 in the Psalms. We are using the Easy-to-Read Version this week.

7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord, we thank you for these prayers that remind us of your goodness and our need for you in our lives every day, every step.  Amen.
Today we start in book Two.  Psalms is divided into five “books” and 1-41 is book One. Here we begin with the second.  We read today about the Sons of Korah.  Just so you know, these were a family of Levites, a musical group, a team or guild if you will, that David had assembled to bolster the atmosphere of worship for the Israelites.

42, 43 – These two actually form one poem.  It’s the longing cry/prayer of one who wants to get back into God’s presence; into the Temple again for worship. He’s away from Jerusalem, feeling in exile up north and east – east of the Jordan.  The locals are hostile toward him and he is caught up in a full effort to cheer himself again.  Vv. 42:5,6,11 and 43:5 are used in a familiar worship song, (from a different translation) it is sung, “why so downcast oh my soul? Put your hope in God…”  Throughout these two Psalms, The Sons of Korah are longing, quizzing and encouraging themselves so to cheer up, lamenting the cruelty of others, calling for God to come quickly, and reminding themselves of His goodness. It may sound like they are “all over the place”, but this is appropriate and applicable because so are our lives and so are we on a regular basis.

44 – The army has paused to call on God during a rough time amid a battle.  They pause to reflect and assert that it is God in Heaven who always gave the victory in Israel’s history. And they know this.  At current they are trying to see the light when it seeeems to be snuffing out. They are feeling at a loss, they are getting pushed back by enemies and they are calling on God to guide the way, to act quickly, to show and help them get moving forward in this battle again. They pray this way because they do not want to go into complete despair.
45 – is the wedding song of a king. It seems to be multifaceted in that the King before us while this is written is either David or Solomon. They talk of regality, beauty, handsomeness, victory but it does seem to go ethereal in that it sounds like Revelation 19:7 and the marriage of the Bride to the Lamb which is of God. This is an event that is going to be thousands of years away. The inspiration that transforms into ambiguity adds intrigue and an alluring passion that keeps the reading and the discussion of this Psalm very much alive … for 3000 years so far !
46 – When in trouble from enemies or natural disasters, it is God who protects and gives peace.  God indeed can conquer anything and therefore we will run to him for our covering.  It is noted that Martin Luther drew much comfort and reassurance from this Psalm during the Reformation of the 1500’s [A.D.]
47,48 –  like 42 and 43, these two Psalms read like a verses 1 and 2 segment of the same Psalm, though they’re also numbered as two separate Psalms.  The worship is breaking into rhapsody, come 47!  The Lord is King, He loves Jacob and descendants, this land of Zion,  (He rules the whole world too.)     The Lord is great; so great. He has drawn people the world over to His city.  God defends this city against any foe. God in Jerusalem is cause for elation.  It is greater than can be described. Just walk through and all around Zion and experience Him. This is the invitation here.
Posted on

May 2


Download

Psalm 38-41

We are in the Wisdom Stream reading from the The Living Bible today.

7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams

Lord God, we can learn from David today. May we, like David, when in anguish and pain turn to you and not turn on you.  Amen.

Things are not looking too good for David and that is the tone for most of what we find in the Psalms today.

38 – David is pleading to God for the punishment he is feeling to relent.  David has sinned and God is angry.  David is near complete despair with pain and inflammation, disease and exhaustion. Loved ones and friends have departed. His enemies are still coming at him. David calls out to God in this state – it’s quite a lesson for all of us.
39 – David’s sin and punishment because of it is dragging on and it has him longing for happier days. It has him musing about the frailty and emptiness of life.  His final verse here sums things up: “spare me Lord, let me recover and be filled with happiness again before my death.” He simply longs to fellowship sweetly again like he did with his God when he was tending sheep and playing harp and singing to Him in better days.
40 – is one of the most popular Psalms of deliverance, recovery and relief. It’s been a favorite for 3,000 years.  The presence and loving hand of the Lord is what the heart really longs for. And God longs to be with us – ‘ever think about that? Sacrifices are … well yeah, … they are good but God wants us and we want God.  The fellowship is what is most sought for. God delivers, just keep calling for him until the relationship is restored.   It’s very interesting about how U2; the band from Ireland made a song out of Psalm 40 and it has been among the most popular songs ever performed.  All opinions and personal impressions aside, the world longs to be with it’s Savior – even though we seem to forget this more than we seem to remember it.
41 – David has a lovely piece about God’s ability to nurse us back to health. He then quickly launches into his word against those who have turned on him.  This Psalm best coordinates with what is found in II Samuel 15 when Absalom has turned and is now trying to wrestle the kingdom from David; his own dad. Absalom has recruited Ahithophel to join in the rebellion. Athithophel was once very close to David (they were the best of friends) but has now become the “Judas” of the Old Testament if y’know what is being said here.  Still David remains in prayer and is turning to God in his distress, isolation, and pain. Amid this anguish he ends the Psalm exclaiming about his eternal God who is from everlasting to everlasting.  What a heart for God David had!