Psalm 60

2 Samuel 8 : 11-14.

Nothing in scripture portion of 2 Samuel suggests that they were lost and any tone of lamentation.
It all sounds victory.

The situation could be that While David was fighting with Syria and Moab,  and Joab commander might be fighting somewhere else and suddenly there might have been an attack from Edom.
And when Joab returned he killed 12 thousand.
1 Chronicles 18:12 says Abhisai, brother of Joab killed 18000 people.

Here we see the battle was great, the results are favorable for Israel and in this context Psalmist says My God deserves a song  in this situation.

David is a man who has new song for every situation in his life.
We sing songs like God is good all the time, He s put a song of praise in this heart of mine.

David heart is like this
If Victory-, oh its a victory for me, God deserves a song.
If Trouble - oh its a trouble situation, my God deserves a song.

Coming to Psalm -

First David deals with root cause of the problem. Why this wars have come - why this troubles arise from the neighbors (syria, edom, moab).
In software , we call it as RCA ( root cause analysis of the defects that software has).
So he got the Victory, he killed so many people, and he made a name for himself and now he sits down and do the root cause analysis of the whole situation.


The main thing David noted root cause :  God is displeased.
A man like David sitting down after a victory and see the situation came because God is displeased.

Is my life pleasing to God? When Lord Jesus was baptized, the voice of God says This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

A life in which God is pleased, is a blessed life.
The life of Jesus is one where God was pleased.

Here David makes a confession that Lord it is because You were displeased that all things wars have come.

But in the midst of all chaos, confusions, You have raised a banner of Truth for us.
The banner in the olden times is used to gathering all people or signal the troops.
Here it talks about Banner of God, where in the times of confusion, chaos if there one banner where people can go is Lord Jesus Christ.

After the Prayer God Spoke:

Judah and Ephraim are symbols of Gods kingship.

When we go in prayer, God speaks, and He speaks of the relationship that we have with Him.
See how great a God we have. He looks to as His authority and kingship.
but to the enemies He says  wash pot and sandals.


Lessons Learned: 
V 11 - help of man is useless.
Only God can give the victory.

Psalm 59

Verse 4 :
I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
    Arise to help me; look on my plight!

Here David did not do any Wrong. He did not commit any evil plot, or done any bad thing to Saul but still he was being attacked.

Many times people end up being attacked because they commit some mistake. they might have are on wrong side. and as a result they receive punishment.

In 1 Peter 2: 19-22
If you suffer for doing wrong, what credit is there in it..
But if you suffer for doing good then it is commendable before God, it is pleasing in the sight of God. 

Thomas university student.

That is why it is written in Matthew 5:10 that
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us,[f]leaving us[g] an example, that you should follow His steps:

22 “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

Today, is there a situation in our lives where we suffer for doing wrong, or suffer for doing being righteous and suffer for standing as a Christian.

If you suffer for doing wrong, what credit is there in it..

2nd thing in this psalm is 

Gods Strength/Power : mentioned in V 9,17

We all know how Great God is looking at the creation.

His Power being revealed in the nature. We read in the old testament that from time to time Gods power is revealed in the life of Israelites.

But here in New Testament I have been learning from what pastor is teaching, is the Grace of God when multiplied, This Grace gives us power to overcome, for everything we need. 

A true over comer is one who always comes under the throne of Grace.

So let us always take the Showers of Grace. It is under Grace we receive power to overcome.

Psalm 58

Verses 1-5 shows the wickedness of the judges.
This was before David became king and when king Saul was against david, david was labelled as Rebel of the nation and all the judges that are with saul , inorder to please saul had judged him saying yes David is rebel and must be caught and killed.and so David ran away.

characteristics of these judges --
1) It is not that they by mistakenly have given a wrong judgement.
but in their hearts they work out wickedness.
Isaiah 57:20 says - They were tossing on the bed with thoughts of wickedness.
But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
When it cannot rest,
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
2) They are estranged from the womb.
The wicked are born sinners.
3) They keep accusing people like a snake spit poison.
They refuse to hear - David was not even given a chance to make his case.


David did not rebel against Saul. He waited and allowed God to work in his toughest moments of life.
He didnot hurrily gather some people and rebelled against king.
He did not do things on his own. But waited patiently for God to deal with the his situation. 


The great encouragement is that God will take revenge on the enemies.
There is a reward for those live for God who wait upon God.

Second Coming of Lord Jesus seventy weeks

70 weeks = 490 years

When this period of 70 weeks started?

Israelites under the captivity

First Babylon kings – for 70 years

Next Persian kings (kings specified in bible - Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes)

Daniel 9:25-27

Our future is clearly mentioned.

4 decrees given by the 3 Persian kings - Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes

1^st decree by Cyrus: regarding building the

To build him a house at Jerusalem

2 chronicles - 36:22; 23

2^nd decree by Darius (also build house of god in Jerusalem)

Ezra 6:6-12

3^rd decree by Artaxerxes (regarding to build the house of god in Jerusalem)

Ezra 7:11- 28 (verse 27)

4^th decree again by Artaxerxes

Nehemiah 2:5-8

This request also given to king Artaxerxes by Nehemiah

To build the city of Jerusalem, not the building of house of god.

So first 3 decrees to build the house of god in Jerusalem, but fourth decree is to build the city of Jerusalem.

Daniel 9: Verse 25

The day when the decree to build the city of Jerusalem, this period of 70 years started.

When Gabriel, spoke these things to Daniel, they are under the Babylon .

Meaning still Persians still didn’t come.

So Gabriel revealed the future, to Daniel

445 B.C march 14 – history tells that this day decree is passed by king Artaxerxes

70 year period started

To understand 70 weeks, divide into 3 parts/3 periods:

7 weeks = 49 years

62 weeks = 434 years = then total of 483 years

1 week = 7 years

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Division of 70 weeks.

7 weeks -     49  (Daniel 9 : 25,26)

62 weeks - 434  (v 26)

1 week -         7 (v 27)

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                 =  490 years

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“Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;

So 7+62 = 69 weeks (483 years - To restore and build Jerusalem

Until Messiah the Prince)

first 49 years - in Nehemaih built the Jerusalem town.

After second 62 weeks (434) years - Messaiah will be cutoff.

and then 

Matthew 21:

Luke 19: 41,42 

42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day

the day represents the 62 weeks finished.

Entry into Jerusalem - 62 weeks (434) years completed.

Daniel 9:26 (And the people of the prince who is to come

Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.) - This prophecy has 2 implications.

History says king Roman king titus destroyed Jeruslem.

Then this verse also implies that anti christ will come with his people and destroy.

So bible experts expect that anticrist will be from Rome.

Gods ways are higher than our ways

Most of the time our focus is on man.
Very rarely we think about God.
Compared to God, we focus more on man.

The statistics say,in a typical week, the average person will speak enough words to fill a 500 page book! 

Even the number of words, number of thoughts -  most of the things we discuss about man, we think about people.

Even in Christian life also --- some times our focus goes onto man when our focus should really be God.

What God wants than what I Want to do.

What God thinks than what I think

What God Loves than what I love.

Anything in Christian life comes down to this.

Gods way or my way.

Isaiah 55

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Thoughts of the LORD are HIGHER than  our thoughts
The Ways of the LORD are HIGHER than our ways.

Rahab, Boaz

We all know Rahab - about her life.
Joshua 2 : 1 gives overview of Rahab's past life.
She was a prostitute.
She believed in God and she and her household got saved.
Joshua 6:25 says - Joshua spared Rahab and her fathers household.

We see this as analogy for Salvation.
We are many times satisfied with Salvation and stop looking at the glorious life that comes with salvation. 
A life of victory over sin.
A life of living by the Word of God.
A life of promise of God.

This is all where most of us stop.
Never limit God -our God has no limit.
Don't limit God by our thinking.

John 21:25 says
25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.


To see how Rahab's life is transformed.
Turn to Ruth 3:

Naomi tells Ruth, its good that you have followed me from Moab to Israel, now its time to settle you down as a family, Get ready and go to the Boaz harvest place and don't identify yourself, there is going to be party time, a cheerful time, and when boaz eats and drinks well then histo him so that he can marry you.
Verse 7 says.
Boaz had good time in eating and drinking. and he slept.
then Ruth goes and sits at his feet and in the middle of night he woke up and saw and did not commit sin.
A celebration time - that is harvest
Add to that a good meal,a good drink and 
nobody to question him. and now a young woman at his feet in the middle of night
See the character of Boaz.
First thing he calls her daughter. He thinks of values of who should redeem first
in that situation.
This is the character of Boaz.

Remember who is this man and where this man came from:
He comes from the womb of a woman who was prostitute before she believed in the Lord.
This is what God can do in your life and my life.
If you put faith in Lord Jesus Christ, your past life may like the life of Rahab, a life that wretched, a wasted life. but because of the God is so amazing, he turns the bitter to sweet, He not only changed the life of Rahab, He not only protected the family of Rahab but He brought a man called Salmon to marry Rahab and from that womb He brought forth a man who even in the middle of the night when a woman comes to him, he did not sin . Thats what God can do. That is the way of God.
we might say what good can come from the womb of a prostitute.
we might say nothing to talk about children of a that woman.
But God used that woman that womb to bring forth one of the holiest person in the bible .
Isnt it true that Gods ways are higher than our ways?
Exodus 20:7 says God will bless thousand generations.

Proverbs 30: 18,19
18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:
19 The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.







See how man thinks and God thinks

1 Samuel 17:
V 37,38 - David says it is the Lord who delivered me from lion and bear.
Saul says that okay, but take this armor. 
take this helmet (thinking this will protect David from gloiaths weapons)

Sauls thinking is that Although he used words like Go, and the Lord be with you, he gives all the things necessary to fight the war.

Not only Saul, even Goliath thinking is the same.
Goliath is expecting David to come in the Armor, Sword and shield. 
The world expects you to come to respond to them in a way that they think.

Saul is thinking David should wear the armory,
Goliath is also thinking and expecting that he should fight with someone in armor.
Everyone's focus is on man, and his strength, his sword, his height.
But David being man after Gods own heart - Goes to the battle by the Strength of the Lord.

Can we declare today, that I will go against every problem in the Name of the Lord.
If there are people accusing us today, don't respond in the way people expect you to respond, Go in the Name of the Lord.

37 Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?”
verses
But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel

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Moses

Just for Reference - Exodus 2:11-12
11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 

Acts 7
23 “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ 27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ [e]29 Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.


Look, he is fully fit at age of 40.fully learned man having grownup in palace.
Moses was trained in all Egyptian Learning.
He is at the right age of 40.
At this moment he comes to Brethren and kills Egyptian.
Read verse 25: 
For He thought - Whose thought is this - the man.
What is mans thought - the brethren (Hebrews) would understand that God would deliver them by his hand.
He thought that people will understand him. 
v 25 says but they did not understand.


Now he has to run for his life and ends up in the land of Midian and 
marries a girl and becomes father of 2.

Moses difficulties.
--> First, people of different religion and different race.
--> Second, wife of different race and different ideas.( he could not circumcise          his children)
--> Third, He became a shepherd, a profession  which he did not know.

--> Fourth, - to add to all to this, he is at FIL house.
Exodus 2:10 says God telling Moses - I have heard their groaning, now go.

All questions of Moses.

At 40 :
Moses was a skilled man.
At right age.
Moses is a man who can kill another person and can hid him in the sand.
Moses is a man who thought everyone will understand that God sent him.


At 80:

Exodus 3:13 - Who am I Lord ?
Exodus 3:13 - What is His Name?
Exodus 4:1 - suppose, they will not believe me.
Exodus 4: 10 - I am slow to speech.
Exodus 4:13 - Lord see if someone else can go.

It is not about our strength.
It is not about our intelligence.
It is not about what people will think about us.

When our strength is gone ..When we are weak.. He is made Strong ( 2 Corinthians 12:9)
when our strategies are all gone - Gods wisdom is revealed.

How Great is our God.
Gods ways are higher than mans ways.

For leading people of 6 million , do you send a young 40 yrs man or 80 yr old man.
For God age doesnt matter.
When all our abilities are gone - God does His work.


When you are weak He is made Strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9
9 And He said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 




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Came to senses - Prodigal Son.

Coming to senses is not about mans work.
Its about coming to senses about who God is. What His House is.


“These have chosen their own ways…. when I called, no one answered,
 when I spoke, they did not listen;
 but they did what was evil in my eyes
and chose that in which I did not delight.”

cursed is the man who leans on the man