Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19990822.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm One Hundred And Forty-Five - Appreciating The VALUE Of Friendship With God
(Psalm 145:1-21)
  1. Introduction
    1. Though the believer may mentally know he should focus on God as the first priority, his focus is often held captive away from considering God by life's worries or the lures of fulfillment the world offers.
    2. Psalm 145 affirms the great value of having God as one's Friend, and beckons the believer with ample reasons for shifting his gaze away from the world's worries and lures to look to God as his first passion.
  2. Appreciating The VALUE Of Friendship With God, Psalm 145:1-21.
    1. David stated that he would exalt and praise Elohim, his King forever and ever, Psal. 145:1.
    2. In fact, he would continuously do this every day for eternity, Psalm 145:2.
    3. David's reasons for this claim of continuous, everlasting praise of God reveals how valuable his friendship with God had been for him in his experience as follows, Ps. 145:3-20:
      1. David stated God was worthy of praise because His greatness was beyond anyone's understanding, v. 3.
      2. In clarifying this great claim, David expressed the comprehensive massiveness of God's goodness:
        1. God's works were so amazing that one generation would testify of them to another, 145:4.
        2. In particular, one generation would tell another of God's glorious splendor of majesty, great deeds, abundant goodness and joyful freshness of His righteousness, Ps. 145:5-7.
        3. David commented on the great grace of God, declaring Him to be compassionate, slow to anger, rich in loyal love, wholesome toward all and compassionate upon all, Psalm 145:8-9.
        4. He declared all God had made, including His believers (saints), would praise Him, implying the versatility of God to impress all the personality, racial, gender and ethnic classes of men, 145:10.
        5. David summarized, saying all classes of man would praise God's might and reign (145:11-12), for God's kingdom is eternal and applicable to all generations of men, 145:13.
      3. In adding to David's claim of God's greatness being beyond understanding, he focused on God's great deliverances of men in needy states as follows, Ps. 145:14-20:
        1. David boldly declared God upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down in suffering, 14.
        2. He detailed how this was so: (a) for general needs, ((1)) David said all eyes of God's creatures look to Him for food to be supplied at the proper time so they can survive, Ps. 145:15; ((2)) God accordingly delivers His creatures from hunger by opening His hand to supply them food, Ps. 145:16. (b) However, David reported that God goes beyond meeting everyday livelihood needs to supply help in crises as follows: ((1)) God is righteous and loyally loving to all He has made (145:17) so that He is near to all who call upon Him for help in truth, Ps. 145:18; ((2)) accord ingly, God fulfills the desires of the needy petitioners who fear Him, Ps. 145:19; ((3)) this help is supplied to all those who love the Lord in righteousness, but ((4)) God even destroys the wicked in contrast to such great help supplied in crises for the upright, Ps. 145:20.
    4. Accordingly, David repeated his claim that his mouth would speak in praise of God, Ps. 145:21a.
    5. Finally, he called on all God's creatures to praise His holy name, or a name that is separate from evil, and to praise that Name eternally, Ps. 145:21b. This implies that those creatures be holy as is their GOD!
Lesson: (1) If one lives wickedly, he is destined for God's wrath and the absence of blessing, Ps. 145:20b. (2) Yet, if he respects God, regardless from what generation he hails (145:4-9) or what is his personality, race, gender or ethnicity, Ps. 145:10, 11-13, he can call on God for sure responses in meeting his daily needs (145:14-16) let alone gaining deliverance out of all c rises (145:14, 17-20a), finding God to be compassionate, patient, rich in loyal love and wholesome towards him (145:8-9).

Application: If we or an associate ever feels that "God doesn't or WON'T pay attention to little old ME and MY needs or desires", we must recall Psalm 145 that CORRECTS this view: (a) yes, SIN will keep the individual from receiving God's blessing. However, (b) getting right with God supplies one with God as a Friend Who WILL help him beyond what he could ever possibly DREAM!