Wednesday night Bible study #7

Here are my notes from this week's Bible study;

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-THE DOCTRINE OF PRESERVATION- (7)
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Continuing with a series of lessons on....."the Bible's preservation"!
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NOW LETS GO TO....... Psalms 12:6,7
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My all time........personal favorite passage:
About God’s preservation of His Word!
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-A TEST OF MY CHARACTER-
Note: Last week...the Lord tested my heart:
By apparently showing me the possibility:
That my interpretation of this passage was wrong!
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This was a test....because it brought me to a crossroads:
➀Would I be honest...and allow the Bible to change my mind:
(And admit that I was wrong?)
➁Or would I be dishonest...and not change my view:
(Regardless of what the passage said?)
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Well praise the Lord....I passed the test:
Because this week...I went at this passage:
From the viewpoint...that it was not about preservation at all!
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-THE WAY I SAW IT.....WHEN I STARTED STUDYING IT LAST WEEK-
(That made me think that I was wrong
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-MY FIRST IMPRESSION........OF THIS PASSAGE-
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V.1 Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth;
for the faithful fail from among the children of men.
.......“the godly man ceaseth”
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V.5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise,
saith the LORD; I will set [him] in safety [from him that] puffeth at him.
.......“now will I arise, saith the LORD”
“I will set [him] in safety [from him that] puffeth at him”
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V.7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD,
thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
........“Thou shalt keep them, O LORD”
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V.8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
.......“when the vilest men are exalted”
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I initially concluded....that I was wrong:
And that Verse 7...was talking about God’s people:
But this conclusion was wrong!
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But...........

 

-THE DANGER OF A “QUICK STUDY”....OF GOD’S WORD-
(You can get the wrong impression
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But...when you take the time...for a closer look:
You will find the truth...about a passage!
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And I found some very interesting truths:
In this passage!
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Now lets look....at the context: Psalms 12:1-8
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V.1A “Help, LORD;”
-CRYING OUT....TO THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN REALLY HELP-
(Lets never forget this
The Lord...is the answer...to all of life’s problems:
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No matter how big they may be!
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V.1B “for the godly man ceaseth;”
-THE MAIN COMPLAINT.....OF THIS PSALM-
(A problem...that we can identify with today
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-THE TWO QUESTIONS....WE HAVE TO ANSWER.....ABOUT THIS STATEMENT-
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➀Who are the “godly men”?
“godly man” Lit.(A Saint)
From our point of view: “A professing Christian”:
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➁What is meant by “ceaseth”?
“ceaseth” Lit.(to come to an end, be no more)
(To die) or (To quit being godly):
And from the context...it’s the later!
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Therefore David was seeing the same thing we are:
Godly people....falling away from the Lord!
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V.1C “for the faithful fail from among the children of men.”
-FAITHFUL SAINTS.....ARE FAILING TO REMAIN FAITHFUL-
(God’s people falling away from the Lord
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Something that we are warned about:
All through the Bible:
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A truth that most people don’t want to hear about!
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V.2A “They”
-THE MAIN QUESTION....THAT WE FIND...“TWICE”-
(That determines what this passage is saying
Who(or what)....are “they”?
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The context dictates...that this “they”
Is talking about “godly men”!
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V.2B “speak vanity every one with his neighbour:”
-A UNIVERSAL ERROR.....FOR ALL THOSE WHO BACKSLIDE-
(Speaking vanity
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Devoting themselves....to the wrong things:
The worthless or useless things!
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Every backsliding Christians problem:
Is allowing...the “things of the world”:
To crowd the LORD...out of their life!
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V.2C “[with] flattering lips [and] with a double heart do they speak.”
-THE FAVORITE SIN.....OF THOSE WHO BACKSLIDE-
(Hypocrisy....(Lying)!
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➀Either by flattery:
➁Or speaking from a double heart!
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Being hypocritical!
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V.3 “The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips,”
“[and] the tongue that speaketh proud things:”
-THIS IS THE KIND OF “HELP”....THE LORD WILL GIVE US-
(When we cry out to Him for help
When we see...God’s people falling away:
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God’s chastening hand!
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-A SHORT-SITED MISTAKE....WE MIGHT MAKE ABOUT THIS RESPONSE-
Some Christians might hesitate in calling the Lord in:
If they see....it might be calling for “chastening”:
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But this is being Short-sited:
Because Chastening is the best thing for them!
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If it keeps them from destroying their life!
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-A LOGICAL RESPONSE.....TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS ISSUE-
(The issue just under the surface
That is being dealt with in this lesson:
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-THE TWPINIONS.......THAT ARE BEING ADDRESSED-
Psalms 12:6-7
V.6 The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
V.7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
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➀”Our side”: We believe that V.7 is connected to V.6
(God’s promise to preserve His Word
➁”Their side”: They believe that V.7 is applied to V.1
(God’s promise to preserve God’s people
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-HOW VERSE 3.......BLOWS “THEIR SIDE”.....OUT OF THE WATER-
When God says that he will put an end to anyone:
Who turns their back on Him:
Taking them on home to heaven....early!
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Therefore V.7....can’t be a promise to preserve them!
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V.4A “Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail;”
-THE REASON WE NEED....THE LORD’S HELP WITH THEM-
(Because they will not listen to us
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The backslider....thinks that they are doing the right thing:
And that they are going to be big winners!
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V.4B “our lips [are] our own: who [is] lord over us?”
-THE MESSAGE.....THE BACKSLIDEN NEED TO HEAR-
(That there is a LORD over them
Someone...that they will have to give an account to:
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And God’s Word makes this crystal clear!
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V.5A “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,”
-A SIDE OF THE BACKSLIDER....WE DON’T THINK ABOUT-
(Their mistreatment of the poor and needy
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Backsliden Christians...are just as hateful as the unsaved:
Because they are rejecting God’s leadership!
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V.5B “now will I arise, saith the LORD;”
“I will set [him] in safety [from him that] puffeth at him.”
-THE LORD’S CONCERN....FOR THE DOWNTRODDEN-
(Like widows and orphans
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There is no faster way...to get God’s attention:
Than to hurt....the weak and helpless!
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V.6A “The words of the LORD [are] pure words:”
-THE TOOL THE LORD USES....TO CORRECT THE WORLD-
(His preserved Word
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God’s Word....when it’s rightly divided:
Will set everything right:
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Nailing people’s hide to the wall!
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V.6B “[as] silver tried in a furnace of earth,”
-THE WAY WE CAN “KNOW”.....THAT WE HAVE GOD’S WORD-
(Because it has been tried
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We do not protect the Bible from the world’s scrutiny:
Because we trust it to be God’s preserved Word:
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Therefore over the last 4000 years or so:
A wicked world has been attacking God’s Word:
To no avail!
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V.6C “purified seven times.”
-GOD’S LAST WORD.......ON THE “PURITY” OF HIS WORD-
(It is “completely” pure
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In Scripture...the number “7" means complete or perfect:
Therefore Gods Word is perfectly pure!
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V.7A “Thou shalt keep them,”
-NOW WE COME TO THE SECOND.....CRUCIAL QUESTION IN THIS PASSAGE-
(That determines what this passage is saying
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Who(or what)....are “them”?
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-THE ANSWER.....THE “CONTEXT” GIVES US-
The first words in V.6 are....“The words of the LORD”:
The first words in V.7 are....“Thou shalt keep them, O LORD”
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In V.6 the LORD emphatically declares the Bible to be pure:
And in V.7....the LORD emphatically declares:
That He is going to preserve it!
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V.7B “O LORD,”
-A FORGOTTEN ASPECT.....IN THIS WHOLE ARGUMENT-
(Who it is....that we are dealing with
“The LORD God Jehovah”
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-GOD’S ESTABLISHED BIBLICAL PRACTICE....OF DEALING WITH SINNERS-
At no time does God every promise anybody:
That they will be safe from His Chastening hand:
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But He regularly promises to preserve His Word!
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V.7C “thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”
-THE NAIL IN THE COFFIN.....OF THEIR WRONG INTERPRETATION-
(The actual promise itself
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Can a promise be given to a person(human being):
That they will be “preserved”....for ever??
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No!
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But...the Word of God(that was made flesh in Christ):
Does have the prospect...of being preserved for ever!
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-THE SAD TRUTH....ABOUT THIS FALSE INTERPRETATION-
(It is just one more ATTACK
Upon God’s preserved Word:
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In an attempt to cause us.......to doubt it!
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V.8 “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.”
-THE REASON THE WORLD NEEDS....THE LORD TO PRESERVE HIS WORD-
(To put the wicked....in their place
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This is why this wicked...Christ rejecting world:
Hates the Bible!
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Because it calls sin.......by it’s name!
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Hello jbh28

And thanks for your input:
In tonight’s lesson(because of all the discussion), we are only finishing up the lesson out of 1 Peter 1:24-25, but I should be getting into to this one by next week; (So time is not an issue.)

Since you represent the other side of this question, I will be editing this lesson for next week, to include verse 5, as part of the scripture you use.
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In your first oh, you said...........

I wouldn’t know; I don’t have access to anyone’s “marginal notes”;
But even if I did, I wouldn’t pay much attention to them, because the marginal notes weren’t inspired.
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And in your second oh, you said..........

I really work very hard, to overcome any preconceived ideas(my own or others), about Scripture. I strive to simply let the passage speak for itself.

As for your other point....let me break a rule here, just this one time to check it out.....
Here is this passage with Verse 6 removed and just Verses 1 & 5 & 7;
Lets see how it reads..........
“Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set [him] in safety [from him that] puffeth at him. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”

I see what you mean: When you put it like that, I can see your point of view.
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But just to be fair, lets do this again, and this time removing Verses 1 & 5, and see how that reads.....
“They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: [with] flattering lips [and] with a double heart do they speak. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, [and] the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips [are] our own: who [is] lord over us? The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”

Now it seems to agree with my view.
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I will just keep using the entire passage.