Wednesday night Bible study #7

[stilllearning]

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...........

 

[stilllearning]

-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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[stilllearning]

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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[jbh28]

-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!

Maybe I can help you before you have the service.

Vs 3 isn't doesn't "blow our side out of the water" Vs 3 is about the ungodly, lying man. And actually, we look at verse 1 AND verse 5 where it says "I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him." It's the godly man that's kept.

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. 6The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

Now, in verse 3, it mentions the lying that is spoken by people. this is contrasted in verse 6 with the Lord's pure words. so when Gos says in verse 5 that "he will set him in safety" we know this will happen because "the words of the LORD are pure words." So we can then conclude that "he will keep them(godly).

oh, and the KJV translators said this too in a marginal note letting us know.
And a 2nd "oh" , I believe that the Lord will preserve his word. I just don't take this passage out of context as a proof text. There are others. The only way to read verse 7 as a preservation passage is to remove it and verse 6 from the rest of the passage. Or to already believe that is what it means.

1 Peter 1:25, Isaiah 40:8

 

[stilllearning]

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...........

“oh, and the KJV translators said this too in a marginal note letting us know.”

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..........

“And a 2nd "oh" , I believe that the Lord will preserve his word. I just don't take this passage out of context as a proof text. There are others. The only way to read verse 7 as a preservation passage is to remove it and verse 6 from the rest of the passage. Or to already believe that is what it means.”

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.