RRB Notes on Psalm 24

Psalms 24 KJV

A Psalm of David

1. The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; [a] the world, and they that dwell therein.

[a] 1 Cor. 10:26

2. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

3. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. [b]

[b] Vss. 3-5 is a faith-and-works salvation.

6. This is the generation of them that seek him, [1] that seek thy face, O Jacob. [2] Selah.

[1] Not a reference to any generation of Jews between A.D. 33 and the present day. Notice the “Selah” at the end of the verse; it is a reference to the Jews in the Tribulation looking for Christ at the Second Advent (see note on 2 Kings 14:7).*

[2] Notice the peculiar substitution of “Jacob” for God (see note on 1 Sam. 20:12).** You will find a similar thing in Psalm 48:12-14, where “the towers” and “bulwarks” are “God”; see especially Romans 9:17 and Galatians 3:8, where Paul used the word “scripture” instead of God.

7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

8. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. [c]

[c] Vss. 7-8 cf. Zech. 9:8-10, 14:1-11.

9. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

10. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. [3] Selah.

[3] The “King of glory” is not Allah (“the god”). The “King of glory” and “God of gods” (Deut. 10:17) is Jehovah – “the LORD,” the tetragrammaton (יהוה – see App. 1).

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*Note on 2 Kings 14:7

2 Kings 14:7 KJV

He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah [1] by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.

[1] Here the word “Selah” is [chet-samekh-lamed-ayin]. See Psalm 3:4, 4:2, 4, 21:2, 39:5, etc., for the word “Selah” there [samekh-lamed-ayin]. On a map, it is called Selah-Petra, the “rock city.” There will a reference to the Second Coming of Christ within two or three verses of the word every time it shows up. It is only recognized by scholars as a pause or musical note. The word means “rock” – the “rock of separations” (1 Sam. 23:28). Otherwise, it is the “Rock” mentioned over and over again in the Song of Moses (Deut. 32), with the entire song dealing with the Second Advent (cf. Psa. 107:4, 7, 36, 108:10, 31:21; Eccl. 10:15). The Jewish remnant will be going south of the Dead Sea into the “rock city” to hide in the last few hours before the Lord returns and saves them “in the nick of time” on a white horse (see App. 99).

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**Note on 1 Samuel 20:12

1 Samuel 20:12 KJV

And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, [2] when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;

[2] The wording is remarkable. Jonathan addresses David as “O LORD God of Israel.” How is that for a “type”? Look at the same thing in Deuteronomy 29:6, where the “I am” is coming out of the mouth of Moses. What is going on here is that while a man is talking to somebody, he is talking to God at the same time.

 RRB Notes on Psalm 23

Psalms 23 KJV

A Psalm of David

1. The LORD is my shepherd; [1a] I shall not want.

[1] You can make beautiful spiritual application of this by lining it up with John 10:1-30. A boy once quoted the verse as, “The Lord is my shepherd; I’ve got all I want.”

[a] 1 Peter 2:25, 5:4; Heb. 13:20.

2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: [2] he leadeth me beside the still waters.

[2] Lesson 1: My meat and my mattress are the same. Lesson 2: If you cannot sleep, don’t count sheep; talk to the Shepherd.

3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me [b] in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

[b] He leads me; I don’t lead Him.

4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [c] I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod [3] and thy staff they comfort me. [d]

[c] See note on Job 17:14: 

The verse is more than a dramatic, figurative statement, as the BIble-correcting scholars and teachers pretend. They forgot that Jesus Christ called Himself the same thing in Psalm 22:6 and warned about being the condition of a man in Hell (Mark 9:44, 46, 48). Jesus extended the classification to a “serpent” in John 3:14. Jesus Christ warned that a man had better not lose his soul (Mark 8:36). When God made Christ to become sin (2 Cor. 5:21), He “lost” His soul (Isa. 53:10); it was made “an offering for sin” (John 18:11; Heb. 5:7).

 and comments on John 3:14 (Num. 21:8-9).

 Mark 9:44, 46.

[3] “The rod of God” (Exod. 4:20) turns out to be Satan (Job 9:34; Isa. 10:5-15; Lam. 3:1; Ezek. 21:13; Mic. 5:1; Rom. 8:28). God uses the Devil to accomplish His own purposes, as He did in the case of Job. No Christian would doubt this if he read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.

[d] Heb. 12:11; Psa. 119:67 -71.

5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; [e] my cup runneth over. [f]

[e] Literal in the case of David, figurative in the case of a Christian.

[f] Source of the song “Fill My Cup, Lord” by Richard Blanchard

6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me [4] all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. [5]

[4] Lester Roloff (1914-1982) used to say, “The Shepherd has two dogs that follow the flock. The name of one is Goodness, and the name of the other is Mercy.

[5] Here is another example of a passage that is literal historically and doctrinally when applied to David, but figurative and devotional when applied to the Christian in the Church Age. “The house of the LORD” is a reference to the Tabernacle during David’s time (1 Sam. 1:9, 2:22). Prophetically, it’s a reference to the Millennial Temple (Ezek. 46). For the Christian, it’s a reference to the New Jerusalem (John 14:2-3), but if you listen to the average preacher, it’s a reference to a church building. Can you imagine living in your church building forever?

 RRB Notes on Psalm 22

Psalms 22 KJV

To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David

1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

2. O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

3. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

5. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

6. But I am a worm, [a] and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

[a] See note on Job 17:14: 

The verse is more than a dramatic, figurative statement, as the BIble-correcting scholars and teachers pretend. They forgot that Jesus Christ called Himself the same thing in Psalm 22:6 and warned about being the condition of a man in Hell (Mark 9:44, 46, 48). Jesus extended the classification to a “serpent” in John 3:14. Jesus Christ warned that a man had better not lose his soul (Mark 8:36). When God made Christ to become sin (2 Cor. 5:21), He “lost” His soul (Isa. 53:10); it was made “an offering for sin” (John 18:11; Heb. 5:7).

 and comments on John 3:14 (Num. 21:8-9). 

 Mark 9:44, 46.

7. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8. He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. [b]

[b] Vss. 7-8 cf. Mark 15:29-31.

9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: [c] thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.

[c] Isa. 44:1-2; 49:5.

10. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.

11. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. [d]

[d] Obviously figurative (Psa. 68:30; see note on Job 12:7).

13. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

15. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; [e] and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

[e] John 19:28-30.

16. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. [f]

[f] Zech. 12:10.

17. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. [g]

[g] Matt. 27:36.

18. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. [1][h]

[1] (22:18) The chapter is a detailed, prophetic account of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, given over 1,000 years before the event took place (see vss. 1, 7, 8, 16, 17, and here). There are 48 such historical prophecies about the First Advent, and not one of them was recorded any later than 400 years before He was born. This is scientific, mathematical proof, according to the laws of statistical probability, that no man could have written The Holy Bible (see Peter Stoner’s book Science Speaks, referred to in the “Introduction to the New Testament” of this work). In comparison, the Koran is a joke. In 114 Suras, Mohammed was not able to give three historical prophecies. (See Appendix 77).

[h] John 19:23-24.

19. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling [i] from the power of the dog.

[i] “Darling,” popular expression meaning literally “only,” “lonely,” or “singly.”

21. Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. [j]

[j] Psa. 92:10; App. 55.

22. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. [k]

[k] Heb. 2:10-12.

23. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

25. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

26. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

27. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. [l]

[l] Second Advent (Psa. 2:10-12; Isa. 2:2-4; Mal. 1:11; Zech. 14:16-19).

28. For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations.

29. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

30. A seed [m] shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

[m] The corrupt modern versions get rid of the word :seed: so you won’t make the cross-reference to Isa. 53:10.

31. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, [n] that he hath done this.

[n] The New Birth (John 1:13, 3:5).

 RRB notes on Psalm 21

To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David

Psalms 21 KJV

1. The king [a] shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

[a] Double application: David here and Jesus Christ in vs. 4.

2. Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.

3. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. [b]

[b] Double application: Solomon (Song of Sol. 3:11) and Jesus Christ (Psa. 45:11).

4. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. [c]

[c] See comments on Tit. 1:2; Heb. 5:7.

5. His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.

6. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.

7. For the king [d] trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

[d] Double application: David in vss. 7-8 and Jesus Christ in vss. 9-10.

8. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

9. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. [e]

[e] Mal. 4:1-3; 2 Thess. 1:8; Matt. 3:10-12.

10. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. [f]

[f] Isa. 14:20; Job 18:19.

11. For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. [g]

[g] Matt. 21:38; Acts 3:14-15, 2:22-24.

12. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows [h] upon thy strings against the face of them.

[h] Second Advent (Psa. 18:14).

13. Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

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Titus 1:2 KJV

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; 1

RRB Comment:

1 (1:2) This promise is not a promise made to any sinner about salvation; it has nothing to do with election (Eph. 1:4) or God’s “purpose” (1 Pet. 1:20). It is a promise made to the second member of the Godhead, since there was nobody else around “before the world began” to whom to make it. The Father promised the Lord Jesus Christ that if He died for sinners (see Rev. 13:8) that He would be resurrected and given “eternal life” as a man (Psa. 18:4-5, 69:1-3 cf. Psa. 21:4, 49:15; Acts 2:27).

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Hebrews 5:7 KJV

Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death,e and was heardf in that he feared;

RRB Comment:

e See note on Matt. 26:42.

(26:42) John R. Rice has this “cup” being the Devil trying to kill Christ in the garden. Going to Hebrews 5:7, he has this prayer being answered in the affirmative and the Lord not having to drink the “cup.” Christ’s prayer was indeed “heard” and answered – with a “NO!” The “cup” was the wrath of God (Psa. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15, 17, 28, 49:12; Ezek. 23:31-33), and the Lord did drink it (John 18:11). John R. Rice didn’t know what he was talking about.

f  Cf Isa. 49:8.

 RRB notes on Psalm 18

Psa 18 KJV 

I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. 

2. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.[a]

 [a]Devotionally speaking, eight things are listed that God is to the saint.

3. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 

4. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.[1]

[1] (18:4) Unbelieving scholarship couples this verse with Isaiah 59:19 to prove that the “flood” of Revelation 12:15 (prophesied in Dan. 9:26) doesn’t have to be a literal flood. It could just be an army. The rule for these destructive critics is: “if it’s possible to make a passage figurative, always make it figurative before you make it literal.

5. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.[b] 

[b] Vss. 4-5 refer to the crucifixion (Psa. 22:7, 12-13, 15; see comments on Tit. 1:2).

6. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. 

7. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken,{c] because he was wroth. 

[c] Second Advent (Hab. 3:10; Joel 2:10; Isa. 24:18).

8. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. [d]

[d] Second Advent (2 Sam. 22:9).

9. He bowed the heavens also,[e] and came down: and darkness was under his feet. 

[e] Second Advent (Psa. 144:5).

10. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. [f]

[f] Second Advent (Ezek. 1:4-28; Rev. 14:14-16).

11. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. [g]

[g] Joel 2:2.

12. At the brightness that was before him [h] his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. 

[h] Second Advent (Hab. 3:4).

13. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. [i]

[i] Second Advent (Psa. 120:4, 140:10; Hab. 3:5).

14. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, [j] and discomfited them. 

[j] Hab. 3:9.

15. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. 

16. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. [k]

[k] Post-Tribulation rapture (Isa. 26:20; Rev. 11:12).

17. He delivered me from my strong enemy, [l] and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. 

[l] Hab. 3:13-14.

18. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. 

19. He brought me forth also into a large place; [m] he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 

[m] Post-Tribulation rapture (Isa. 26:20-21; Rev. 14:1-5).

20. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. [2]

[2] (18:20) It could be David talking about his “faith and works” setup, but as it stands, it leans heavily toward the Lord Jesus Christ. In contrast to verse 24, David was recompensed for his sin according to the “dirtiness of his hands” (Psa. 51:2-5; 2 Sam. 12:9-12). Verses 38-47 deal with Jesus Christ again.

21. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 

22. For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. 

23. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. 

24. Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. 

25. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; 

26. With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. 

27. For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks. [n]

[n] Second Advent (1 Sam. 2:4-9).

28. For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. 

29. For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. [o]

[o] Joel 2:7.

30. As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. 

31. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? 

32. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. 

33. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. 

34. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. [p]

[p] 2 Sam. 22:35).

35. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. 

36. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. 

37. I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. [q]

[q] Isa. 63:1-6.

38. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. 

39. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. 

40. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; [r] that I might destroy them that hate me. 

[r] Second Advent (Josh. 10:24),

41. They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not. 

42. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: [s] I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets. 

[s] Second Advent (Dan. 2:35, 45).

43. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me. [t]

[t] Second Advent (Psa. 2:8).

44. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me. 

45. The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places. 

46. The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. 

47. It is God that avengeth me, [u] and subdueth the people under me. 

[u] Second Advent (Isa. 61:2; Jer. 46:10; Isa. 34:8).

48. He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. 

49. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. 

50. Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. [3]

[3] (18:50) “Anointed” is the word for Messiah. The reference is not to David, although David was the anointed “Messiah” (מָשִׁיחַ). You have Christ in His humiliation in verses 4-5, David in verses 18-25, Christ in verses 26-34, David in verse 35, and Christ in HIs triumph in verses 36-47. This is what’s known as “rightly dividing the word of  truth.” You will see the same phenomenon in Psalm 89.