The Apple of His Eye - Psalm 74The Apple of His Eye ... commentary of Psalm 74

The Apple of His Eye
… A commentary of Psalm 74

Verse Nineteen


Psalm 74:19: “O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.”


“…the soul…”


This word soul appears 432 times in the King James BIBLE.


The Essence of Man


Psalm 74 - The Apple of His Eye

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Light is what we need today here in the 21st century. “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” [Psalms 119:130]

The BIBLE gives LIGHT!

Now, the Bible I am referring to … is available to anyone … everywhere … in America to read, to believe, to hearken and to obey.

This BOOK I am talking about … is the Authorized Version of the Bible of 1611 [or any of its editions], and is commonly known as the King James Bible.

Now, this BOOK is a perfect book:

“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.” [Psalm 12:6-7]

In this BIBLE is found a person … a being … called MAN.

MAN is a being … a human being!

Now mind you, this human being [as originally created in the image of God] is comprised of three parts: soul, body, and spirit - three in one:

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [1 Thessalonians 5:23]

HUMAN BEING = [BODY + SOUL + SPIRIT] … The three parts of Man

Now a man’s soul is essentially the person and was inserted into the body in Adam’s case when the breath of life was breathed into him by God:

Genesis 2:7:And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

The body is nothing more than a temporary dwelling place [a tent]. 

2 Peter 1:14:Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.”

Peter knew [by faith in Jesus Christ] that he will be alive for evermore even without the body.

Your soul is you!

It is Jesus Christ who keeps the souls of men alive!  Job 12:10:

“In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”

David himself had this same confidence that comes by faith in God: Psalm 16:10:

“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” 

The salvation of the souls of men is what is important.  People need to cry out: Jesus Christ is my salvation!  The BOOK that God has written will bear this out.  Psalm 35:3:

“Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.”

Verse nineteen again: “O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.”


Psalm 74 - The Apple of His Eye

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Turtledove


We have here, the apple of his eye also being called a turtledove.  Israel is likened to a turtledove.  The first instance of the word turtledove is located in the First book of Moses called Genesis, chapter fifteen, verse nine:

“And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” [Genesis 15:9]

The turtledove, which is closely related to the pigeon, is one of the few sacrifices acceptable to God for a temporary remedy for sin [for the sanctification to the purifying of the flesh] [Hebrews 9:13].

The dove or the turtledove is very special to God.  Note: It is a clean bird, not a dirty bird like a crow.

When John the Baptist witnessed the Spirit abide on Jesus Christ, this appearance of the Spirit was like a dove

The record of God of this appearance is recorded in the book of the Gospel of John, chapter one, verse thirty-two:

“And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.” [John 1:32]

Not only is the Spirit of God likened to a dove, the Spirit of God HIMSELF calls the woman in the book of the Song of Solomon, my dove

See chapter two, verse fourteen for this:

“O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” [Song of Solomon 2:14]

And in chapter five, verse two, we have her again being called a dove.  Let me read:

“I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.” [Song of Solomon 5:2]

The pattern is now solidified for all of us to see in chapter six, verse nine:

“My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.” [Song of Solomon 6:9]

We have here, a picture of a woman, and more, this woman represents a type of the body of Christ, which is the church.  Proof?

Well, go back to chapter one, verse five, and you can see her identify herself: She says, “I am black”! 

Read the verse:

“I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” [Song of Solomon 1:5]

So, the bride of Christ [who is called: my dove], who is seen here talking to the daughters of Jerusalem [note these daughters are a type of Israel], and the nation of Israel are both called a dove [a turtledove].

As we have already seen, Israel is likened to being the apple of His eye, and is now also called a turtledove.

Now we come to this word: deliverance:


Deliverance


Turn to the Gospel according to Luke, and we will read in chapter four, verse eighteen.

Now, herein is recorded a prophecy of deliverance:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” [Luke 4:18]. 

This prophecy was fulfilled forty-two months later.

The captives were brought to heaven:

“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” [Ephesians 4:8]

God delivers people, and God delivers nations.  God delivers!  What is more, God delivers men to judgment, and God delivers men to salvation.  This being so, which kind of deliverance do you want?  Do you want deliverance for your good or do you want deliverance for your evil?  

Now, God has delivered Israel time and time again from their enemies.  Also, God has delivered Israel time and time again to their enemies.  Search the Scriptures and see this very phenomenon for yourself.

For instance, turn to the book of Judges, chapter one, verse four, and read:

“And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.” [Judges 1:4] 

God delivered their enemies into their hand.  Do you see this?  God did it!  Amen!

Now, look in the very next chapter, chapter two, starting with verse thirteen.  Watch what happens when Israel forsakes the LORD:

“And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.” [Judges 2:13-16] 

Now understand this.  Deliverance can work both ways as we have just seen. 

Bottomline: Israel reaped what they had sowed

But what of us today?   We also reap for what we sow! Read for this maxim in the New Testament epistle to the Galatians, in chapter six, verse seven:

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” [Galatians 6:7]

God has intervened time and time again to deliver the apple of his eye, his little turtledove, from her enemies.

How did HE do this?   Well, through many meansFor instance, one of the means was this: HE used prophets.  Read for this in the book of Hosea, chapter twelve, verse thirteen:

“And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.” Hosea 12:13

He used prophets as deliverers.  He raised up Moses for this very purpose.  He was a prophet.  He was also, a deliverer

He raised up Joseph for this very same purpose.  He also was a deliverer

For this proof, look with me in the First book of Moses called Genesis, in chapter forty-five, verse seven:

“And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” [Genesis 45:7]

Now, something else is here.  God delivers men or nations when men prepare their hearts to seek God as Ezra did.   Read with me in the book of Ezra, chapter seven, verse ten:

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” [Ezra 7:10]

Next, go to chapter nine, and see how this deliverance works out through one man’s fear of God.  Listen to what the Spirit of God says through Ezra.  Verse three:

“And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.” [Ezra 9:3]   

Ezra is where he needs to be in order to pray!

Now, come down to verse thirteen, and we will see Ezra’s prayer, and see the result of Ezra’s prayer and its conclusion:

“And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;” [Ezra 9:13]

Ezra is declaring, we are not getting what we deserve

This is the same truth for us who are living here today in the 21st century if we have put our trust in the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ:

“Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” [1 Thessalonians 5:10] 

We also are not getting what we deserve!  It is called: G-R-A-C-E, GRACE!

God has also used kings and queens as deliverers. 

He raised up Esther for this purpose

She was a queen.  She was a deliverer.

See her as a deliverer in the book of Esther, chapter four, verse fourteen:

“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” [Esther 4:14]

Now, God HIMSELF time after time steps in … to effect great deliverances of HIS people [from destruction, death and HELL].

We have this truth so clearly given to us in the book of Psalms, in Psalm eighteen, verse fifty:

“Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.” [Psalms 18:50] 

Mercy and great deliverance go together! 

Oh! How sweet our God is to deliver us [through his seed, Jesus Christ] [from the curse of SIN, which is Death and Hell. [See also for this Psalm 89:4,29,36]

Romans 1:3: “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;”

Romans 4:13:

“For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

Mercy, deliverance now meet up with the righteousness of faith, and they all commune together! 

And there is something else here also.  Notice this: The God of Israel also compasses HIS people with songs of deliverance:

“Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” [Psalm 32:7] 

·         Israel experienced a deliverance from famines.

·         Israel experienced a deliverance from pestilences.

·         Israel experienced a deliverance from diseases and sickness.

But what is most important to all men is this matter of the need for deliverance from HELL. 

Our damnation slumbers not!  See the verity of this in the second epistle of Peter in chapter two, verse four:

 “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;” [2 Peter 2:4]

Therefore, the most important deliverance is for the soul of a man to be saved from an eternal torment in Hell by believing on the LORD Jesus Christ to salvation:

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” [1 Thessalonians 5:9]

God delivers people, and God delivers nations.  Also, God delivers men to judgment, and yet God delivers men to salvation.

This apple of his eye, this turtledove, needs to call upon the LORD for this so great deliverance to salvation.  And soon they will!

It is [as it says it is] in the book of the prophet Joel, chapter two, verse thirty-two:

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” [Joel 2:32]

There shall soon come [at the end of the Great Tribulation] a great deliverance to the nation of Israel:

“But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” [Obadiah 1:17]

[But for us living today we need to call upon the LORD now for a great deliverance to salvation.]

Verse nineteen once again: “O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.”

Forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever

The congregation of thy poor has not been forgotten by the LORD.

Those that are meek, merciful and pure of heart have the sure promises of God that will soon be realized in the coming millennial kingdom of LORD Jesus Christ. 

When Jesus was here on this planet in the first advent two thousand years ago, HE prophesied of a coming restitution of all things to this earth. 

For this promise we need to see the book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter three, verse twenty-one:

“Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” [Acts 3:21])

Next open your BIBLE to the Gospel according to Matthew chapter five, and we will read from there: 

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” [Matthew 5:1-12]

From this passage we see that The LORD GOD will not forget the congregation of thy poor!

The kingdom of Heaven is soon coming!  And the congregation of thy poor will surely be ushered into this kingdom.