BIG IDEA:
THE WICKED ARE THE ONLY LOSERS WHEN THEY TRY TO AMBUSH
THE RIGHTEOUS
I. (:1-2) HIDE ME FROM SECRET ATTACKS
A. Hear my voice
Bring our complaints to God as prayers for deliverance
B. Preserve my life
"from the dread of the enemy"
Not just deliverance from their attacks, but from being paralyzed with fear in worrying about the prospect of being attacked
C. Hide me
1. "from the secret counsel of evildoers"
2. "from the tumult of those who do iniquity"
(Transition to the next point: the nature of those who are attacking me: evildoers; those who do iniquity)
II. (:3-6) (because) MY ENEMIES ARE ACTIVELY PLOTTING TO AMBUSH ME
A. The Powerful Weapon of the Tongue
"sharpened their tongue like a sword"
"aimed bitter speech as their arrow"
B. The Treacherous Cowardice of Concealment
"shoot from concealment at the blameless"
relying on sudden surprise attacks against the bla meless
C. The False Security of Concealment -- they deny accountability (to God and to the Law)
Alleviates their fear of God
Multiplies their evil purposes without restraint
False assumption: "Who can see them?"
D. The Terrible Injustice of Attacking the Blameless
"they devise injustices"
carefully conceived plots
III. (:7-8) GOD WILL TURN THE TABLES ON MY ENEMIES
A. God is a Straight Shooter
His arrows will hit home
B. The Wicked Shoot Themselves in the Foot
"their own tongue is against them"
Transition: "all who see them will shake the head"
IV. (:9-10) (so that) EVERYONE WINS WHEN THE WICKED ARE DEFEATED
A. All Men Win
1. Fear God
2. Declare the work of God
3. Consider what He has done
B. The Righteous Especially Win (= the upright in heart)
1. Glad in the Lord
2. Take refuge in Him
3. Glory in Him
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) If we are supposed to do all things “without grumbling or complaining,” why does God listen to the complaint of the psalmist? What type of complaint is this?
2) Which is more dangerous and debilitating to the righteous: the actual attacks of the wicked or the “dread of the enemy”? Which do we experience more often?
3) If the wicked are busy sharpening their tongue like a sword, are we equally diligent in using our tongue to speak gracious words of healing and blessing? How are we using our tongue? How can we sharpen it for righteousness? What differences are pointed out in this psalm between the righteous and the wicked?
4) How can man imagine he can get away with murder? No matter how “deep” the thoughts of his heart and mind, the Lord sees right through him. Are there times when
we imagine that we can hide our inward thoughts from God?
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