Page 31 - Psalms Ebook

talk about reducing things and making them concise. He sure did in
Psalm 18:2. So the figures are simple, common and everyday so that
God can meet us where we live.

My third observation is this, the Psalms are filled with pictures. Now
remember a picture is never as great as the reality. As wonderful as
the picture is, it is weak and in some capacity must fall short. Every
picture has limitations. Every picture breaks down someplace, and I
want to point out some of these limitations. In the Lord’s use of pictures
He also uses what is called hyperbole. Hyperbole is a highly
exaggerated figure of speech with shock value. “I watered my couch
with tears”. That is a hyperbole. An obvious exaggeration. Psalm 139:
17 and 18 says that “God thinks of us more than the sands that are
on the earth”. That will cause you to stop and use your imagination.

The first time I ever saw the ocean was in Newport Rhode Island. When
I saw all that sand I thought, oh my, Psalm 139. He thinks of me more
than this? Now that sounds like a strong figure of speech, but because
we are talking about the Lord you cannot have a hyperbole with God.
You cannot exaggerate the Lord. And so as powerful as that figure is,
you have to say it falls short. God thinks about me infinitely more than
the sands that are on the earth. So we are going to point out how weak
these figures are because we are talking about God. You cannot
exaggerate God! You cannot over state His love or His mercy or any of
His attributes.

In the book of Hebrews we have this verse. Hebrews 1:4. It says, Jesus
is much better than the angels. How much better? Think of the angels
in heaven that never sinned. Jesus is much better than the angels. Well,
is that ten times better? One hundred times better? You know the
answer. Jesus is infinitely better than the angels. That is just a picture.
In Hebrews chapter 3:4 it says, Jesus is worth more glory than Moses.
How much more? Think about it. How much more glory? And the
answer is infinitely more glory. Hebrews 7:22 says, “Jesus has become
the guarantee of a better covenant”. How much better? You see,
infinitely better. In Hebrews 9:13 and 14 it says, the blood of Jesus is
better than the blood of bulls and goats. Do you realize how many
animals were slain over four thousand years on Jewish altars? How
much blood flowed? Oceans of blood. How much better is the blood of
Jesus than that ocean of blood? And the answer is infinitely better.
31