INTERACTIVE TEACHING/LEARNING GUIDEKingdom Living

A Study of the BeatitudesWeek 5

Session Title: Happy Are The HungryFocal Passage: Matthew 5:6; Psalm 42:1-4

Central Teaching/Learning Aim: The learner will be challenged to hunger and thirst for the things of God not the things of this world.

I. Hook

A. Display pictures of popular brand logos. Next share the following:

Kindergartners Identify Common Logos

Christian author and speaker Skye Jethani wrote about his kindergarten-aged daughter's homework assignment: Help your child identify as many logos as possible. Jethani said that without hesitating, she identified Pizza Hut, Target, and Lego. At home, she collected the logos of Disney, Jell-O, and Goldfish Crackers. Later, while drinking a glass of water, she proudly shouted, "That says IKEA!" She spotted the tiny logo imprinted on the bottom of the glass.

Jethani reflected:Should it scare me that my five-year-old had memorized more corporate brands than Bible verses or even names of relatives? Also scary was the fact that no one taught her to identify logos. We didn't have corporate logo flashcard drills at home. Zoe internalized these logos simply by living for five years in a brand-saturated culture.

This sort of brand marketing has been so effective that the average ten-year-old has already memorized between 300 and 400 brands. When these children become adolescents, each with an average of $100 of disposable cash to spend every week, they will select from these brands to construct their identities—identities they can eat, drink, smoke, drive, play, ride, and wear.

The spiritual value of shopping is not lost on marketers. Douglas Atkins, author of The Culting of Brands: When Customers Become True Believers, states plainly that, "Brands are the new religion."

Skye Jethani, "There's Power in the Name Brand," Skye Jethani blog (5-18-16)

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Ask – What does it demonstrate about our society when 5-year-olds can identify brand logos even when they can’t read?

What do people hunger for in our culture?

Next – Define “righteousness”.

The New Testament uses the term righteousness in one form or another 228 times. The word righteousness means “move in a straight line.” Used with reference to morality “righteous” means living or acting in the right way. Who decides what the “right way” is in our society?

What/who should be our guide for righteous living? (The Bible and Jesus.)

What happens when there is no absolute truth?

Read – (Matthew 5:6 and Psalm 42:1-4).

State – Today we are going to discuss how we should have a hunger, a burning desire to pursue the right things of God.

B. Optional Method – Object Lesson

Bring or display pictures of equipment that enhances taking selfies. (Example: selfie stick, underwater cameras, phones, etc.)

Ask – Have you ever been to a beautiful location on vacation and observed folks so obsessed with taking selfies that they miss the entire moment around them?

Kim Kardashian epitomizes our self-obsessed culture. In 2015 she published a picture book made up entirely of selfies.

Ask – As Christ-followers who or what are we to hunger for?

Read – (Matthew 5:6 and Psalm 42:1-4).

State – Today we are going to discuss how we should have a hunger, a burning desire to pursue the right things of God.

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C. Optional Method – Movie Clip “Cinderella Man”

Location: http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/cinderella-man/stealing-sausageLength: 2:58

Synopsis: As the 1930s dragged on, the misery of the Great Depression continued to intensify for many Americans, including Jim & Mae Braddock. A former prizefighter whose broken hand shattered what was left of his struggling career, Jim now finds himself at the lowest point of his life – barely able to feed his three children and hang onto the family’s windowless tenement. As the scene opens, Jim comes home early from another day of fruitless searching for employment to find his family completely unsettled by the actions of his son Jay.

Whether in parenting, coaching, teaching or mentoring most of us tend towards either strict enforcement of the rules or peace-at-any-price permissiveness. Either of these extremes can eventually destroy the lives we are trying to transform. The key to understanding truth and grace is to realize that neither is meant to stand alone.

Jim didn’t hesitate to confront his son’s wrong behavior and to let him know unequivocally that stealing is never acceptable, no matter the circumstances. That’s the essence of truth – it’s absolute, unchanging and unbiased. “We don’t steal,” Jim emphasized. “No matter what happens, we don’t steal. Not ever.” He secured his son’s promise that this would never happen again.

Truth must be established first. It is the platform, the host, and the conduit of grace. But once the absolute is agreed upon, Jim was able to look into the heart of the issue – his son’s fear for the future. He offered his son reassurance in the form of an absolute promise of his own. He embraced him and offered him empathy and comfort. This is the nature of grace – it looks beyond the facts to the motivations, the needs and the restoration of the offender.

Ask – What important truths did Jim teach his son in this example?

Read – (Matthew 5:6 and Psalm 42:1-4).

State – Today we are going to discuss how we should have a hunger, a burning desire to pursue the right things of God.

II. Book

A. Utilize the discussion guide to examine the Scripture passages.

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III. Look

A. Distribute the handout “How to Hunger and Thirst” and guide members through it. (Note – this would be an excellent group discussion.)

IV. Took

A. Place members into prayer circles and have them pray for an increased passion to hunger and thirst for righteousness this week.

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DISCUSSION GUIDETeacher Copy

1. What does it mean for a person to hunger and thirst for righteousness? (Matthew 5:6)[Just as the body craves food and water and can’t live without either, we should have the same drive to pursue and live out the righteousness of God.]

2. How does unrighteous living lead to chronic dissatisfaction?

3. What are people hungering and thirsting for more in our society than righteousness?

4. What/who must be our standard of righteousness?[The Bible and Jesus.]

5. What are the implications when we decide the standards in the Bible are outdated and cultural?

6. Outline the principles of hunger and thirst in (Psalm 42:1-4).a. Just as we hunger and thirst physically we should spiritually b. We must relentlessly pursue God c. Righteous living should be our obsession

7. How obsessed are you with living a righteous life for a holy God?

8. Look up the following passages and complete the chart below.Principles for Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness

(Matthew 22:37) Love the Lord with every facet of your life(Hebrews 4:12) Allow God’s Word to guide your every move(1 John 1:9) Confess your sin and accept His forgiveness(Ephesians 5:18) Be filled with the Holy Spirit(James 4:7-10) Call on God to deliver you(Matthew 15:18) Garbage in – Garbage out(Romans 8:1) Live in victory(1 Timothy 4:7-8) Live a disciplined spiritual life(James 5:16) Be accountable to other Christians

9. In which of the above principles do you need to improve?

10. What steps can you take this week to pursue righteousness?

11. What promise is found at the end of (Matthew 5:6)?[You will not find satisfaction with things pursued in this world but if you pursue the things of God you will find satisfaction.]

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DISCUSSION GUIDEStudent Copy

1. What does it mean for a person to hunger and thirst for righteousness? (Matthew 5:6)

2. How does unrighteous living lead to chronic dissatisfaction?

3. What are people hungering and thirsting for more in our society than righteousness?

4. What/who must be our standard of righteousness?

5. What are the implications when we decide the standards in the Bible are outdated and cultural?

6. Outline the principles of hunger and thirst in (Psalm 42:1-4).a. b. c.

7. How obsessed are you with living a righteous life for a holy God?

8. Look up the following passages and complete the chart below.Principles for Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness

(Matthew 22:37)(Hebrews 4:12)(1 John 1:9)(Ephesians 5:18)(James 4:7-10)(Matthew 15:18)(Romans 8:1)(1 Timothy 4:7-8)(James 5:16)

9. In which of the above principles do you need to improve?

10. What steps can you take this week to pursue righteousness?

11. What promise is found at the end of (Matthew 5:6)?

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How to Hunger and ThirstComplete the following to help formulate a strategy for finding satisfaction in your life.

Action Step #1 Look Up!

From what biblical saints of old do you draw spiritual encouragement?

Who is your spiritual mentor?

If you do not have a spiritual mentor seek one out.

Action Step #2 Lighten Up!

Not every encumbrance in our commitment is sinful or bad.

What good things are weighing you down from full commitment and service to God?

What needs to change?

Action Step #3 Loosen Up!

Sin does entangle us and keep us from running with endurance.

What “pet sins” do you need to eliminate?

What sinful habits or relationships?

What is our first step this week?

Action Step #4 Lift Up!

Every runner must have something upon which to fix his or her gaze.

Lift up your head and fix your eyes on Jesus.

What practices do you need to follow through on in your life to be Christ focused?

Read (James 4:8) and claim that promise this week.

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THEE WORD FOR THE WEEK

Happy are the HelpfulMatthew 5:7 and Micah 6:6-8

Monday: Read Matthew 5:7This verse comes with a blessing and a challenge. Mathew says that those who are merciful will be blessed and will receive mercy, but he is also calling us to have mercy.

When is the last time you can think of that you were asked for mercy or forgiveness from someone and you gave it? Was it difficult? How did your attitude change after?

Is this verse saying that we only receive mercy when we have been merciful? How would our lives look different if that were the case?

How amazing is it that the grace and mercy we receive is not dependent on anything we do, and how much more should that make us want to go out and share that mercy with others?

Tuesday: Read Matthew 18:21-22Jesus’ says that it should be as easy for us to forgive on the first time as it is the 397 th time, or whatever other number it comes to.

Is it harder to forgive after the same person commits the same sin against us? Why can it feel like it gets more difficult? What should we keep in mind to keep our hearts focused on having mercy instead of being focused on the first 396 times someone offends us?

How often are you Peter in these verses, looking for a certain number of times to forgive someone before you decide enough is enough?

Wednesday: Read Micah 6:6-7In this verse, a year-old calf was used as an example of one of the best sacrifices.

What is the modern-day version of the calf? What does it look like specifically in your life?

Are you offering the best of your life? If not, what in your life needs to change today to make that that answer be yes?

What if we had to pay even one of these prices to receive mercy? Would you be able to completely stop sinning, would you be able to find a way to pay this price or would you just be out of luck?

Thursday: Read Micah 6:8God has given us clear instruction on what our lives should look like. We do not need to worry about how good our sacrifice is, or how much we are sacrificing, but instead we just need to walk beside Him.

Why does Micah contrast justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with his discussion of sacrifice in the past two verses?

What does this say about what our attitude should be towards living the lives God has called us to?

Friday: Read Matthew 22:18-21 Keeping in mind what we read in Micah 6:6-7, how much are we called to give God? Now that Jesus gave us an answer to the questions asked in those verses, does

making the sacrifice we are called to make become easier or harder.

EXEGETICAL ~ THEOLOGICAL ~ PEDAGOGICAL

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Note: In Matthew 5-7 Jesus taught the way of true righteousness (see 5:20 with 7:13-14). True righteousness (how to be “right” before the holy God) is not a man centered, works-generated product of following “religious rules” (5:20). Rather, true righteousness requires a change of attitude and behavior that results from God doing a supernatural work in the character of a true believer. And only those in whom God “works out” His supernatural work of salvation can know what it means to be blessed/happy. With God’s help, we can reflect His righteous character in our thinking and doing so as to enjoy the blessings He intends for His Kingdom subjects.

Here is Jesus’ party platform, His administrative insights, His Kingdom manifesto. When we accept His rule, we can be 100% sure of our salvation/ deliverance into His Kingdom – not because we can justify ourselves, but because we realize we can’t; not because we are well, but because we realize we are sick; not because we are rich (materially or spiritually), but because we realize we are spiritually impoverished, and, therefore, humbly receive God’s commands and promises.

Today, in Matthew 5:6 Jesus teaches that the hungry and thirsty Kingdom subject, who deeply desires to be right with God [declared righteous – justification] and before God [living rightly – sanctification], will be fully satisfied by God [made perfectly righteous – glorification], who alone can provide such satisfaction. The psalmist expresses this same longing for the full experience of relationship with God. “People ask, ‘Are the truths in the Beatitudes the rule on how you get into the kingdom, or are they rules on how you live once you’re in the kingdom?’ The answer is yes. Both” (MacArthur, J. The Beatitudes, 110).

(Exegetical: What it meant to the Jewish believers back THEN)THE KINGDOM SUBJECT WITH A DEEP DESIRE

TO BE IN RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD –HUNGERING AND THIRSTING AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS

[RIGHT WITH GOD, BEFORE GOD, AND BY GOD] . . .WILL BE FULLY SATISFIED,

(Matthew 5:6 and Psalm 42:1-4).I. The reason those who hungered and thirsted after righteousness [deeply

desired to be right with God and before God and made right by God] would be blessed/happy/ completely whole/in a state of shalom, according to King Jesus’ instruction regarding the character of His kingdom subjects . . . was because they would be fully satisfied [with the righteousness that only God can provide], (Matthew 5:6).

Note: “Matthew uses the verb ‘to hunger’ 9 times, but in all the other 8 it refers to literal hunger while here the meaning is clearly metaphorical (as it is twice in Luke and once in John). With it is linked thirst, which is more often used in the metaphorical sense (cf. Ps. 42:2). Jesus is speaking of an intense longing after righteousness that may be likened to both hunger and thirst. Everyone now and then does what is right, but Jesus is pointing his hearers not to occasional acts but to a passionate concern for the right. Righteousness is often used in the New

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Testament for the right standing believers have before God because of Christ’s atoning work, but . . . it is plain that Matthew has a strong interest in the upright living that should characterize the servant of Christ . . . . We should notice that he is not suggesting that people can make a strong effort and achieve the righteousness of which he is writing: it is a given righteousness, not an achieved righteousness. The blessed do not achieve it but hunger and thirst for it. They will be filled, which surely means that God will fill them (cf. 6:33, ‘his righteousness’). We need not doubt that the term here includes the doing of right, an indication that we are expected to live in full accordance with the will of God. How could anyone have a strong desire for a right standing before God without at the same time strongly wanting to do the right? Today there is a strong emphasis on social righteousness, the liberation of people from oppression, and that can scarcely be out of mind either. Righteousness is a rich and full concept, but whichever way we understand it, it is a righteousness that people cannot produce of themselves. . . . this righteousness is a gift of God. And of those who have this wholehearted longing for the right Jesus says, they will be filled. They do not achieve it of themselves, but God fulfils their longing. God will not disappoint anyone who has this deep desire to do his will. Those who long for righteousness will have a full measure, not a mere trace. There are two thoughts here, the first of which insists on the disposition of the seeker. The good gift of God does not come indiscriminately to all the race, but only to those who seek it wholeheartedly. The second is that, for all their intense longing, the seekers do not fill themselves with righteousness, but are filled; righteousness is a gift of God” (Morris, L. The Gospel According to Matthew, 98–100).

A. CLAIM: King Jesus’ claim regarding those who hungered and thirsted after righteousness [deeply desired to be right with God and before God and made right by God] . . . was that they would be blessed/happy/completely whole/in a state of shalom.

Note: “‘Blessed’ is a misleading translation of makarios, which does not denote one whom God blesses (which would be eulogētos, reflecting Heb. bārûk), but represents the Hebrew ’ašrê, ‘fortunate’, and is used, like ’ašrê, almost entirely in the formal setting of a beatitude. It introduces someone who is to be congratulated, someone whose place in life is an enviable one. ‘Happy’ is better than ‘blessed’, but only if used not of a mental state but of a condition of life. ‘Fortunate’ or ‘well off’ is less ambiguous. It is not a psychological description, but a recommendation” (France, R. T. Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary, 114).B. CHARACTER: The character trait demonstrated in the lives of Jesus’

Kingdom subjects . . . was hunger and thirst after righteousness [a deep desire to be right with God and before God and made right by God].

Note: “[Righteousness] goes on to include a desire to see God’s standards established and obeyed in every area of life. Again, God promises that his purposes will be accomplished and that his justice will eventually reign” Blomberg, C. Matthew, 100).

“The precise nature of the righteousness for which the blessed hunger and thirst is disputed. Some argue that it is the imputed righteousness of God –

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eschatological salvation or, more narrowly, justification: the blessed hunger for it and receive it. . . . This is certainly plausible, since the immediate context does arouse hopes for God’s eschatological action, and hungering suggests that the righteousness that satisfies will be given as a gift.

“The chief objection is that ‘righteousness,’ in Matthew does not have that sense anywhere else. . . . So it is better to take this righteousness as simultaneously personal righteousness . . . and justice in the broadest sense. These people hunger and thirst, not only that they may be righteous (i.e., that they may wholly do God’s will from the heart), but that justice may be done everywhere. All unrighteousness grieves them and makes them homesick for the new heaven and new earth – the home of righteousness (2 Pe 3:13). Satisfied with neither personal righteousness alone nor social justice alone, they cry for both. In short, they long for the advent of the messianic kingdom. What they taste now whets their appetites for more. Ultimately they will be satisfied . . . without qualification only when the kingdom is consummated” (Carson, D. A. “Matthew” in T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew–Mark, 164).C. CAUSE: The reason Jesus’ Kingdom subjects, hungering and

thirsting after righteousness [deeply desiring to be right with God and before God and made right by God], would be blessed . . . was because they would be fully satisfied [God granting them the righteousness they so deeply desired].

Note: “’Shall be filled’ is again future, the verb matching the figure of hunger and thirst. But this is not a distant future in a supposed millennium or in heaven but one that at once feeds the hungry and gives drink to the thirsty. The moment faith in Christ is wrought, at that moment righteousness is declared without even the interval of a second. And ever and ever as we yearn to be righteous in God’s judgment, his Word in a thousand places declares us so. With these declarations, all of them advance pronouncements of the final verdict at the last day, every contrite and believing sinner can satisfy and fill his soul” Lenski, R. C. H. The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel, 190).

“Jesus satisfies, and yet there is a blessed dissatisfaction that wants even more and will be satisfied only when we see Jesus Christ. A kingdom person has a consuming ambition, not for power or pleasure, not for possessions or praise, but for righteousness” (MacArthur, 123).D. CHARGE: The implied charge to/expectation of Jesus’ Kingdom

subjects . . . was that they deeply desire to be right with God and before God and made right by God.

Note: “The person who hungers and thirsts after righteousness, shall be made,“1. Truly righteous—

[There is a negative kind of holiness, which is neither pleasing to God nor profitable to man: it consists merely in an abstinence from open sin, and a discharge of external duties. But real holiness pervades the whole man: it comprehends the whole circle of divine graces: it reaches to the thoughts

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and desires of the heart; and assimilates us to God in all his communicable perfections. Now this is that with which the true Christian shall be filled: in all his dispositions towards God and man, he shall be changed: he shall not only be delivered from all that would injure his character among men, but shall be ‘transformed into the very image of his God in righteousness and true holiness.’]“2. Progressively righteous—

[That degree of perfection to which Christians may attain, is not gained at once. All the members of the new man, as well as of the material body, do indeed exist at the moment of our birth: but they are then in a state of infantine weakness: and their arrival at a state of maturity is a gradual work. Now this work shall be advanced in the souls of those who earnestly desire it: ‘they shall hold on their way, growing stronger and stronger;’ and, like the risen sun, ‘shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.’ ‘The Lord will perfect that which concerneth them,’ and ‘carry on his work until the day of Christ’]“3. Perfectly righteous—

[Though absolute perfection is not to be attained in this life, yet every righteous person may expect it, as the completion of his wishes, and the consummation of his bliss. The moment that his soul is released from this frail tabernacle, it shall bid an everlasting farewell to sin and sorrow. The hunger and thirst which characterize him in this world, will then cease for ever: there will remain to him no heights unattained, no wishes unaccomplished: his soul will be ‘filled’ with the desired good, yea, filled to the utmost extent of its capacity.]” (Simeon, C. Horae Homileticae: Matthew, 58–59).

II. The blessings the psalmist recalled in his emotional/spiritual imagination, as he poured out his soul in thirst for God and in grief because of his exile as his enemies ridiculed his faith . . . were the times when he went with the multitude of Israelite worshippers, as part of the procession, to the temple (“house of God”), shouting with joy and thanksgiving during the festivals of Israel, (Psalm 42:1-4).

Note: “The longing of the psalmist for God’s presence is clear from simile and the references to God. First, the simile of the “deer” expresses the intense yearning for a taste of God’s presence. . . . So strong is the psalmist’s physical longing for God that we may agree with C. S. Lewis, 51, who described the author’s craving as an ‘appetite for God.’

“Second, in the references to God, the psalmist’s longing for God increases in intensity. He addresses him as ‘God’ (v. 1), then as ‘the living God,’ and finally expresses his profound hope to see “the face of God” . . . It may well be that the phrase ‘living God’ (cf. 84:2; Dt 5:26; Hos 1:10) is associated with the imagery of God as ‘living water’ (cf. Jer 2:13; 17:13), the ‘fountain of life’ (Ps 36:9).

“In view of his need for God, the psalmist asks when he can return and experience once again the presence of God. He wants to ‘meet with God’ in the temple on Mount Zion (v. 2; 84:7). The question is partly rhetorical and functions as one question in a chain of questions (vv. 8–9; 43:1). The rhetorical aspect of

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the question lies in the problem of how a person who desires God’s presence can experience alienation from God. The question finds its resolution in the development of these psalms.

“The psalmist is hemmed in by his own question, by his longing for God’s presence (v. 2), and by his enemies, who tauntingly ask, ‘Where is your God?’ (v. 30. The taunts of the enemies serve to bring him closer to despondency. For the present, it seems as though God does not have the power to deliver. With these questions he lives continually (‘all day long,’ vv. 3, 10). Not knowing where else to turn, he looks back in remembrance, digs deeply into his own soul, and then looks to God for the final answer to his despairing feeling” (VanGemeren, W. A. “Psalms” in T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms (Revised Edition), 381–382).

A. The manner (“Like/As”) in which the soul/being of the psalmist longed for/panted for/desired God (Elohim) . . . was like a deer longing/ thirsting for the [life-sustaining] waters of the brooks/rivers, (1).

Note: The psalmist’s simile sought to express the desperate sense of his emotional and spiritual need. He must partake of that refreshing source of life, which was God alone. Picture a deer, during a time of extreme drought, dashing through the mountain forest, fleeing for its life from a mortal enemy. Exhausted and dehydrated by the chase, it longs/pants for the elusive stream that will provide life itself. This psalm captured the exceptional – not at all the normal – experience of a true believer . . . on the run, fatigued, and frantic for God’s presence. Desperate for God, dazed and distressed, the psalmist would be refreshed by the LORD’s life-sustaining loyal-love (“hesed” – vs. 8).

Note, too, that throughout most of this psalm the psalmist uses Elohim (the creator “God”) rather than YHWH (the covenant making/keeping “LORD” of Israel), which we see used only once, in verse eight. This double reference (God-YHWH) underlined the confidence of the psalmist that his YHWH (LORD) was not a localized god, but rather the Elohim (creator God) of all creation.B. Acknowledging that his soul/being thirsted for God, the living (life-giving)

God, the psalmist’s question . . . wondered when he might go [into the temple in Jerusalem] and meet (“see”) the face [presence] of God, (2). 1. The acknowledgment of the psalmist [in the midst of his desperate

situation] . . . affirmed that his soul/being thirsted for/craved God, the living God who could sustain his physical/emotional/spiritual life, (2a).

2. The psalmist’s question . . . wondered when he might go [return to the temple in Jerusalem] and see (meet with/experience) the face [presence] of God, (2b).

Note: As verse six reveals, the psalmist was living/surviving/battling far from the city of Jerusalem and from the temple. He was in the far north of Israel in the mountainous region of Dan. Access to God’s presence – specifically perceived in Old Testament times as being located in the tabernacle or the temple where His “presence” (glory/shekinah) dwelt (see Exodus 40:34-35; 1

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Kings 8:11; Ezekiel 44:4) – seemed a distant possibility for the psalmist. Yet, in the deepest parts of his being, he thirsted (cp. Isaiah 49:10; 55:1; Matthew 5:6; Revelation 22:17 for examples of the many uses of the metaphor throughout Scripture of thirsting) for God. C. The taunt of those who surrounded the psalmist, which had caused

him constantly (“day and night”) to suffer/grieve (“my tears have been my food”) [all the more in his exile] . . . challenged, “Where is your God?” (3).1. The psalmist’s sorrow/grief (“my tears have been my food”) . . .

was constant (“day and night”), (3a).2. The cause [implied by “while”] of the psalmist’s constant

sorrow/grief . . . was the taunting challenge of those who surrounded him, “Where is you God?” (3b).

Note: To the psalmist’s enemies, he appeared to be cut off from any help from his God. In that time and place, most of the religions worshipped [false] gods who were “local deities” in that they were gods of their land. There was always the question of whose god was the true god of the land (Exodus 9:1 w/ 12:12; Judges 6:25-26; 1 Kings 18:19-21ff). And the closer one was to his “god,” the more likely his “god” would be present with power to battle on his behalf (cp. 1 Samuel 17:41-47; 1 Kings 20:18). So, here we find the psalmist, far from home, longing for God’s presence, that is, to worship in the temple in Jerusalem, and now being taunted by his enemies, “Where is your God? He’s not around here! You are in deep trouble now!” (cp. 1 Kings 18:26-27).

D. The things the psalmist remembered [recalled in his emotional/spiritual imagination], as he poured out his soul [in thirst for God and in grief for his exile] . . . were the times when he went with the multitude [of Israelite worshippers], as part of the procession, to the temple (“house of God”), shouting with joy and thanksgiving during the festivals of Israel, (4).

Note: “Adverse conditions create an optimum context for reflection. The psalmist cannot do much more than ‘remember.’ He remembers ‘these things.’ What things did he remember? He meditated on the pilgrimages to the temple, the festive celebrations, and God’s triumphs in the history of salvation. . . .The pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem and presented their offerings and sacrifices with great rejoicing. . . . The godly minority (the remnant) focused their hope on a purification of the people, a catharsis of the temple worship, and a new age” (VanGemeren, 382).

At least three times a year every healthy and godly Israelite was to journey to the tabernacle/temple to worship God alongside his/her fellow Israelite (see Deuteronomy 16:1-17). The three major festivals included unleavened bread (Passover), weeks (Pentecost), and tabernacles (Booths) (16:16). These three times of celebration were the best times of the year. Joy and thanksgiving came naturally to those for whom the LORD had provided. To miss one of these occasions would be like being in a foreign and hostile

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land, away from family and friends, during Christmas! The vividness of the memories only multiplied the psalmist’s tears.

Longing for the presence of his God, the God who was the source of blessing, protection, and provision, sustained the hope of the psalmist in the most difficult time of distress (see 42:5, 11; 43:5).

(Theological: What it means for God’s people ALWAYS)THE DEEP LONGING OF THE BELIEVER TO WORSHIP

WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LIVING GOD, HUNGERING AND THIRSTING AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS . . .

WILL BE SATISFIED WITH COMPLETE SALVATION[JUSTIFICATION, SANCTIFICATION, GLORIFICATION RIGHTEOUSNESS],

(Psalm 42:1-11; Matthew 5:6).I. Isolation from God’s people at worship and the taunts of unbelievers

. . . stimulate a deep longing in the believer’s soul to worship with the people of God in the presence of the living God, (Psalm 42:1-4).

II. The deep desire of a Kingdom subject to be right with God and before God and to be made right by God . . . will be completely realized in God’s full salvation, (Matthew 5:6).

(Pedagogical: What it means for us TODAY)FEED YOUR APPETITE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS,

(Psalm 42:1-4; Matthew 5:6).I. Those outside the Kingdom of Heaven seek happiness/fulfillment in all the

wrong places, (Isaiah 55:2; Jeremiah 2:11b-13; Haggai 1:2-6).[Pleasure, power, possessions, entertainment, adventure, hobby, medication]

II. The right place to seek happiness is in the presence of God, (Ps 42:1-4).A. The psalmist longed to fellowship with his God, (1-2a).B. But the psalmist was far from his place of worship, (2b).C. And the psalmist was taunted by unbelievers, (3).D. The psalmist could only recall past experiences of worship, (4).E. The psalmist longed to “see God face to face” in His holiness.

III. Experience the righteousness of God in a state of spiritual hunger and thirst, (Matthew 5:6).A. CLAIM: Kingdom subjects are blessed, happy, whole, in shalom.B. CHARACTER: Happy Kingdom subjects hunger and thirst after

righteousness – like the psalmist longing for his holy God.C. CAUSE: Satisfaction is promised to those who hunger and thirst after

righteousness.1. To be right with God means you are justified – declared righteous.2. To be right before God means you are being sanctified – learning to

act rightly.3. To be made right by God means you will be glorified – recreated

without a sin nature to live forever in His holy presence.4. To hunger and thirst after righteousness is to long for God Rule!

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D. CHARGE: FEED YOUR APPETITE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.1. Admit your hopelessness, your spiritual bankruptcy.2. Let your heart break over sin and its consequences.3. Submit yourself in humility to God’s word, His will, and His ways.4. Turn your gaze away from the false satisfaction of this world.5. Focus on your eternal destiny: preparing for holiness.

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