Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19971012.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm Eighty-Six - Handling Subordinates Who Arrogantly Rebel
(Psalm 86:1-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. At home in a marriage or family institution, in the workplace, in a church situation or in governmental roles, a troubling, awkward situation often leading to sleeplessness for an overseer is facing insubordinates who arrogantly, fearlessly and wrongfully rebel against established authority!
    2. David as king of the nation Israel faced this problem, and reveals for us in Psalm 86 the godly response by an overseer caught in the web of such a situation.
  2. Handling Subordinates Who Arrogantly Rebel, Psalm 86:1-17.
    1. The problem David faced in the incident giving rise to this psalm was the crisis of facing subordinates who fearlessly, arrogantly and with threats were rebelling against his rightful authority, Psalm 86:14a.
    2. What made this a particularly difficult time for David was that these rebellious men had no respect even for the attributes of God Who had given David the right to rule, Ps. 86:14b.
    3. In handling this crisis, David took the entire burden of the crisis unto the Lord as follows:
      1. David brought himself under the strict reverence for the Lord opposite the arrogant rebelliousness of the insubordinates he faced, and that to beseech God's intervention and help:
        1. Making no pretense to innate power within himself, David asked God to bend down His mighty ear and heed him who was bent down in affliction, Ps. 86:1.
        2. He asked God to guard him from these rebels as being the servant of God who was expected to protect His property, His slave, Ps. 86:2.
        3. David asked for mercy, calling on the Lord constantly, Ps. 86:3.
        4. He asked God to help so that David could rejoice once more, Ps. 86:4.
        5. In the process, David extolled the Lord for His great sovereignty and Lordship over all, Ps. 86:8-10.
      2. David brought himself under the strict allegiance to God's administrative leadership of his life opposite the arrogant rebelliousness of the insubordinates he faced, Ps. 86:11:
        1. Instead of being like the unteachable rebels under David, David asked God to teach him, Ps. 86:11a.
        2. Instead of disobeying God's leading like his subordinates did to David's leadership, David opted to apply God's leading in His Word to his life, Ps. 86:11b.
        3. Instead of carrying a rebellious attitude as did his subordinates to David, David sought to have God give him an attitude that wholly respected God and His attributes, Ps. 86:11c.
      3. David depended on God's great loyalty to His covenant promises to David, and on God's great goodness opposite the rebels who did not appeal to David's good character or to God's for results:
        1. David recalled God's loyalty to His covenant in having salvaged David in former similar crises, 12-13
        2. He knew God to be good, loyal, compassionate, faithful and slow to judge, all factors that were of great comfort to him who was now oppressed by insubordinates with opposite attitudes, v. 14-15.
      4. David once more asked God for help (v. 16), and a sign of God's goodness toward him that would be visible to David's enemies, putting them to shame for their stand of insubordination against him, v. 17.
Lesson: In facing insubordinates who neither respect us nor divine intervention so that their attitudes are not only burdensome, but destructive, overseers must make sure that THEY are SUBMITTING to GOD, THEIR OWN Overseer if they would exp ect HIM to offset these opponents!

Application: (1) Paul implies in Eph. 6:9a,b and Col. 4:1a,b, that the role of OVERSEERS of human subordinates is to be metered by the overseer's SENSE of accountability to GOD! (2) The temptation for an afflicted overseer may be to "kn ee-jerk" and retaliate in like, oppressive manner to the subordinate. However, overseers, being accountable to God, must watch their own actions and attitudes toward even difficult subordinates in view of that accountability! (3) If facing troublesome insubordinates, CHECK on our OWN attitude of submission to GOD as this MAY need improving! (4) Overseers can learn fro m the NEGATIVE way rebellious subordinates function how they are to do the OPPOSITE themselves in submitting correctly to GOD! David sure did!