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Psalms

Read the Psalms in 30 days

October 5, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

Read the Psalms in 30 days | WednesdayintheWord.com

Reading through the psalms can change your life! Here’s a plan to read through the psalms in 30 days.


Day 1 – Morning: Psalms 1-5; Evening: Psalms 6-8

Day 2 – Morning: Psalms 9-11; Evening: Psalms 12-14

Day 3 – Morning: Psalms 15-17; Evening: Psalms 18

Day 4 – Morning: Psalms 19-21; Evening: Psalms 22-23

Day 5 – Morning: Psalms 24-26; Evening: Psalms 27-29

Day 6 – Morning: Psalms 30-31; Evening: Psalms 32-34

Day 7 – Morning: Psalms 35-36; Evening: Psalms 37

Day 8 – Morning: Psalms 38-40; Evening: Psalms 41-43

Day 9 – Morning: Psalms 44-46; Evening: Psalms 47-49

Day 10 – Morning: Psalms 50-52; Evening: Psalms 53-55

Day 11 – Morning: Psalms 56-58; Evening: Psalms 59-61

Day 12 – Morning: Psalms 62-64; Evening: Psalms 65-67

Day 13 – Morning: Psalms 68; Evening: Psalms 69-70

Day 14 – Morning: Psalms 71-72; Evening: Psalms 73-74

Day 15 – Morning: Psalms 75-77; Evening: Psalms 78

Day 16 – Morning: Psalms 79-81; Evening: Psalms 82-85

Day 17 – Morning: Psalms 86-88; Evening: Psalms 89

Day 18 – Morning: Psalms 90-92 ; Evening: Psalms 93-94

Day 19 – Morning: Psalms 95-97; Evening: Psalms 8-101

Day 20 – Morning: Psalms 102-103; Evening: Psalms 104

Day 21 – Morning: Psalms 105; Evening: Psalms 106

Day 22 – Morning: Psalms 107; Evening: Psalms 108-109

Day 23 – Morning: Psalms 110-113; Evening: Psalms 114-115

Day 24 – Morning: Psalms 116-118; Evening: Psalms 119:1-32

Day 25 – Morning: Psalms 119:33-72; Evening: Psalms 119:73-104

Day 26 – Morning: Psalms 119:105-144; Evening: Psalms 119:145-176

Day 27 – Morning: Psalms 120-125; Evening: Psalms 126-131

Day 28 – Morning: Psalms 132-135 ; Evening: Psalms 136-138

Day 29 – Morning: Psalms 139-140; Evening: Psalms 141-143

Day 30 – Morning: Psalms 144-146; Evening: Psalms 147-150


Resources: Psalms

Understanding Hebrew Poetry


Where to next?

Bible Study 101

Resource Library

Resources Book of the Bible


Photo by EFDAL YILDIZ on Unsplash

Filed Under: Faith & Life, Psalms Tagged With: Bible reading, Psalms

04 Meeting God in the Psalms

August 3, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

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Meeting God in the Psalms | WednesdayintheWord.com

Teaching to Change Lives

  • If education changed lives…
  • How do you measure teachings effectiveness?
  • Heart to heart, not head to head.
  • First rule is to excite the student about the subject matter

Presuppositions

  • Personal experience
  • Reading into the Bible
  • Correlation
  • Shocking passages of scripture
  • Hermeneutical circle
  • Breaking the hermeneutical circle
  • Presuppositions make a difference
  • Universal presuppositions
  • Experiential presuppositions
  • Importance of systematic theology

Four poor substitutes for application

  • We substitute interpretation for application.
  • We substitute superficial obedience for substantive life-change.
  • We substitute rationalization for repentance.
  • We substitute an emotional experience for a volitional decision.

Avoid

  • “Be perfect” sermons; Examples: Psalm 1 and Psalm 15

Main teaching points

  • Principles should correlate with the general teaching of Scripture.
  • Principles should speak to the needs, interests, questions, and problems of real life today.
  • Principles should indicate a course of action.

Sermon Themes

  • Humanity’s radical corruption
  • God’s sovereign choice
  • Christ’s purposeful atonement
  • The Spirit’s effective call
  • God’ preservation of the saints

Resources

  • What is Reformed Theology? by R.C. Sproul
  • Teaching to Change Lives by Dr. Howard Hendricks

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Next: 05 Sharing the Psalms

Previous: 03 Interpreting the Psalms

Series: How to Study Psalms

Resources: Psalms

For more: Bible Study 101

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Passages, Psalms Tagged With: application, Psalms

Psalm 107 The Lord delivers us from manifold troubles

July 27, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

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Psalm107-750

Lecture notes for Psalm 107

Psalm 107 is part three of a trilogy:

  • Psalm 105:44 He gave them also the lands of the nations
  • Psalm 106:27 He swore He would scatter them in the lands
  • Psalm 107:2 He has gathered from the lands
  • God chooses, chastises, and then redeems.

Outline

Psalm 107 is a series of word pictures, parables or metaphors of the human condition
vs. 1-3 Introduction

  • The redeemed of the LORD are those gathered back from captivity.
  • The redeemed are to say, “God is good and His love endures forever.”

vs. 4-9 Wanderers retrieved

  • Wanderers are the rootless, restless, alienated, and disenchanted.
  • Hebrew thirsty is dried out. Used of dried out plants without any life
  • They cried out to the LORD in their trouble and God comes to the rescue
  • Lostness, hunger, thirst, and exhaustion but
    • Christ is the Way, the Bread and Water of Life, and the Giver of Rest
  • Climax in verse 7: a city to dwell in

vs. 10-16 Prisoners released

  • Guilt (v.11) darkness, grinding toil, bonds, doors, and bars
  • All word pictures of the way in which we are enslaved because of our sin
  • Darkness and gloom is a picture of despair
  • God does not say, “You did it; now get yourself out of it.”
    • They stumbled, and there was no one to help

vs. 17-22 The sick restored

  • Best translation, “Fools, because of their rebellious way, were afflicted.”
  • Fools are perverse, not unintelligent. Their trouble is self inflicted.
  • Neurotic and psychotic because of their sin
  • Hebrew the grave is a pit, something you cannot get out of by yourself.
  • God turns our insanity into joy, thanksgiving, health, and wholeness of mind

vs. 23-32 The storm-tossed rescued

  • This section speaks not of our guilt, but of our littleness
  • Hebrew wisdom is a skill in living, all their skill at seamanship was useless,
    • literally all their wisdom was swallowed up
  • They are humbled by the open deep. The sea is inhospitable to life.

vs. 33-42 Summary statement

  • The redeemed are to say, “God is good and His love endures forever.”
  • God is behind it all. He is working everything out according to his plan and purpose, and it is good. That is what he wants us to see. We tend to blame God for the trouble we are in, and we attribute evil to him. We say he is not good; God is not treating us right, and we play right into Satan’s hands when we do that. Satan wants us to believe that God is not trustworthy, that he does not care about us, that he does not love us, but he does. Even when life is hard, Paul says, he is “working all things out according to his purpose,” which is good.

43 The Psalmist’s conclusion

  • Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.
Teacher: David John Marotta
Part of the Series: Understanding Psalms
Resources: Understanding Hebrew Poetry

 

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Passages, Psalms Tagged With: deliverance, Psalms

Psalm 109 Vengeance invoked upon adversaries

July 20, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

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Psalm 109 | WednesdayintheWord.com

Psalm 109 Lecture Notes

Interpretive Difficulties

  1. Used by Peter to describe Judas in Acts 2:16-20, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas”
  2. Specifically, v.8 is quoted (along with Ps 69:25), “Let another his office take” followed by v.9 “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.”

Structural Issues

  • v.1-5 enemies are plural v.5 they repaid me evil for good
  • v.6-20 enemies are singular
  • v.21-24 v.25-31 enemies are plural

Author and Occasion

David railed upon by Nabal, the husband of Abigail (1 Sam 25)

Content of the Psalm

  1. David’s situation (v.1-5)
  2. Curses against David (v.6-15)
  3. Because he was this way… (v.16-18)
  4. Therefore let this be his reward (v.19-20)
  5. David commits his cause to God (v.21)
  6. David’s weakness from accusations (v. 22-25)
  7. David asks for vindication (v.26-29)
  8. David’s thanks and confidence in the Lord (v.30-31)

Notes

  • 1 Sam 25 “David who?” v.5-6 evil for good and hatred for my love
  • v.8 “fulfilled” by Judas
  • v.17-18 Christian karma built into the created order
  • v.22-25 fearing to find an assassin or a victim?
  • v.27 Let them know that this is your hand.
  • v.28 people curse; God blesses;
  • Rom 12:17-21 “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” says the Lord
  • Overcome evil with good.
  • 1 Pet 3:16 Keep a good conscious in the thing in which you are slandered.
  • v.31 & v.6 stand at right hand
  • 1 Peter 2:18-25 Living God’s grace

Problems and Issues in this Psalm

  • Ps 109:8 used by Peter to describe Judas
  • vs. 6-20 could be the psalmist’s own words, or the words of the psalmist’s enemies
  • The number is plural in 6-20, singular elsewhere
  • vs. 16-19 is past tense (MT), seeming as though the curse has already happened. Should these verse be present, emphatic? Simply what normally happens? Future (repointing) prophetic?
  • What is the occasion of this psalm?
  • How does vs. 4 (in return for my love) and vs. 27 (And let them know that this is Thy hand; Thou, Lord hast done it.) reconcile with the vindictive curses in the middle?

Possible Occasions

  • persecutions of Saul urged by Doeg
  • rebellion of Absalom and the treachery of Ahithophel
  • Shimei (who loved cursing) 2 Sam 16:5-13
  • railed upon by Nabal, the husband of Abigail (1 Sam 25)

Possible solutions

  • Quotation of the Psalmist
  • translate Psalm’s verbs as future tense and thus regard these imprecations as prophetic, mere predictions of the fate that is likely to befall those who deal wickedly with the innocent
  • Regard the psalm not as personal, but national, reflecting the cried of Israel against malignant enemies.
  • The call of a righteous man for God’s vengeance on those who live wickedly.
  • I think the quotation (if there is one) runs from 6-15, 16-20 stating that their curse will return to them. (He who lives by the sword).

The Situation

1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, Do not be silent!
2 For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without cause.
4 In return for my love they act as my accusers; But I am in prayer.
5 Thus they have repaid me evil for good And hatred for my love.

Thus they have repaid me evil for good And hatred for my love. Is the primary compliant of David.

In return for my love they accuse me, even as I make prayer for them. So they reward me evil for my good, and hatred for my love. (Psalms 109:4-5 RSV)

This man understands that “a soft answer turns away wrath,” and he has tried that with them. He has followed the New Testament standard of praying for those who hate him and despitefully use him. It is remarkable, is it not, that here in the
Old Testament you find such a clear demonstration of the fulfillment of the New Testament requirement to pray for our enemies. We are to love those who persecute us and try to do good toward them. This man has done that yet it has not altered the situation. His enemies have not ceased their attack; they are just as vicious, just as malicious, just as fiercely hostile as they were before, and now he does not know what to do next. This is the problem that faces him at this
point.

v. 2 against me lit. with me enemies pretending to be on friendly terms.

v. 6-20 Quotation of the curses uttered by the psalmist’s enemies

Evidence:
1. Beginning and End of the Psalm the enemies are spoken of in the plural, but in 6-20 they are singular.
2. v. 28 explicitly states the psalmist’s foes resorted to curses
3. v. 21 But Thou, O God suggests what was said previously was adversaries
4. The Psalmist’s own ”curses” are in v. 29

Problems:
1. v. 16b refers to the Psalmist (?) cf. v. 22
2. Chief enemy or collective could explain the singular or the singular could be the Hebrew way of saying each one of them.
3. The cultural belief in the power of the spoken work would probably prevent the Psalmist from repeating this type of curse.
4. This makes Peter’s reference to Judas very forced (This objection can perhaps be answered by pointing out that in verse 20 David returns the curse to those who deserve it. But this is somewhat circuitous.)

This is confirmed by the fact that in the Jewish version of the Old Testament, Verse 20, which is the conclusion of this quoted portion, instead of reading “May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,” says instead, “This is the
reward which my accusers seek from the Lord, those who speak evil against my life!”

The Cursing

6 Appoint a wicked man over him,
And let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty,
And let his prayer become sin.
8 Let his days be few; Let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless And his wife a widow.
10 Let his children wander about and beg;
And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.
11 Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him,
Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off;
In a following generation let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the LORD continually,
That He may cut off their memory from the earth;

v. 6 accuser Hebrew satan
v. 8 goods Hebrew pekuddah possesions, hoarded wealth, or office most likely since possessions are referred to in v. 11
v. 8 applied to Judas in Acts 1:16-20

Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas … For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his homestead be made desolate, and let no man dwell in it; and His office let
another man take.

v. 16 For introduces reasons for imprecation. NO! Because of … (v.20) Therefore let this be their reward…

The Result

16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness, But persecuted the afflicted and needy man, And the despondent in heart, to put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, And it entered into his body like water And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself, And for a belt with which he constantly girds himself.
20 Let this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, And of those who speak evil against my soul.

Should v.16-19 continue the accuser’s quotation or be a commentary on the accuser?

v. 20 What shall I do?

God’s Dealing with Me (David)

21 But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
22 For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like the locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting, And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a reproach to them; When they see me, they wag their head.

21 Commit the cause to God

22-24 Cries out for strength (this is what we do to people when we accuse them)

26-28 Asks for vindication

“Vengeance is mine, says the Lord; I will repay,” (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19)

Notice that the first thing he does is to commit the cause to God. “Thou, O God of my life, deal on my behalf for thy name’s sake!” Here is a man who understands the nature of reality. He understands how life operates. He understands the truth
behind the admonition of Scripture, both in the Old and New Testament, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord; I will repay,” (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19). Vengeance is mine! Don’t you try it, don’t you attempt it. Don’t try to “get even” because if you do you’ll only make the matter worse. You will perpetuate a feud that may go on for years, even for centuries, destroying, wrecking, damaging others and creating all kinds of difficulties both for them and for you.
No, no, vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I am the only one who has the wisdom adequate to handle this kind of a problem. This man recognizes that and commits the cause to God.

But he also understands something else. He understands that God’s name is involved in all this. When God’s people are being persecuted then God is also being persecuted. His name is involved in it. It is up to God to defend that name, not man. Recall that when Saul of Tarsus was converted on the Damascus road and the Lord Jesus appeared to him in light brighter than the sun, that Saul cried out to him and said, “Lord, who are you?” Jesus said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Saul was persecuting the Christians, but when he was persecuting them he was also persecuting the Lord. God is involved in his people’s trials. God is involved in what happens to his own. The Psalmist, understanding this, commits the whole cause to God and says, “God, you deal with it. It is your problem. Your name is involved; you handle it on my behalf for your name’s sake.” Is that not a thoroughly Christian reaction? Listen to Peter as he shows us that this was exactly the reaction of the Lord Jesus, himself.

He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:22-23 RSV)

26 Help me, O LORD my God; Save me according to Your lovingkindness.
27 And let them know that this is Your hand; You, LORD, have done it.
28 Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, they shall be ashamed, But Your servant shall be glad.
29 Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; And in the midst of many I will praise Him.
31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.

My assailants shall be put to shame, and thy servant shall be glad!

My accusers shall be clothed with dishonor; they shall be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle! (Psalms 109:28b-29 Indicative Mood)

v.31 God stands at the right hand

Explain v. 15? Response to 1. in Evidence cf. v. 13 and v. 15

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.
Teacher: David John Marotta
Part of the Series: Understanding Psalms
Resources: Understanding Hebrew Poetry

 

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Passages, Psalms Tagged With: Psalms, vengeance

Psalm 49 The Folly of Trusting in Riches

July 13, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

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Psalm 49 | WednesdayintheWord.com

Lecture Notes for Psalm 49

Outline

1) Introduction – Receive The Wisdom of God (v.1-4)

a) Written by the sons of Korah
b) The Psalm is universally applicable (v.1-2)
c) The Psalm is a universally true

2) Vanity of Riches: The Limitations of Wealth (v.5-13)

a) There is no reason to fear power in the hands of sinners. (v.5-6)
b) Only Jesus’ blood shed for us for our redemption is worthy of our trust. (v.7-9)
c) Wealth and power are ephemeral. (v.11-12)
d) Summary: Though they seem secure, those who try to live trusting in themselves are insecure. (v.13)

3) Retribution: The Two Destinies (v.14-20)

a) There is a resurrection life where righteousness matters. (v.14-15)
b) Do not be impressed by something as ephemeral as wealth. (v.16-17)
c) Real blessing comes from God and He is the only one who deserves praise. (v.18-19)
d) Summary: A rich man who trusts in his riches does not understand that God is the only Deliverer of the Soul. (v.20)

Notes:

  • Avoid greed
  • Avoid fear
  • Avoid pride
  • Practice stewardship
  • Be generous
  • Respect calling

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.
Teacher: David John Marotta
Part of the Series: Understanding Psalms
Resources: Understanding Hebrew Poetry

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Passages, Psalms Tagged With: Psalms, riches

Psalm 73: The wicked contrasted with the righteous

July 6, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

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Psalm 73 | WednesdayintheWord.com

Psalm 73 Lecture Notes

1-14 The Road to Ruin (Three Steps Back)

1-3 I nearly lost my faith in a good God seeing the wicked’s prosperity

1 “Certainly we should expect God to be good to those who are pure in heart!”
2 But he almost lost my faith
3 Because I envied the wicked

4-9 Because the wicked seem to prosper in every way,

4 They die painlessly, not in the prime of life. They are healthy and prosperous.
5 They have less difficulties in life. God does not chasen them as much as others.
6 They flaunt their pride. They flaunt their violence
7-9 The outcome is a blatant and unpunished flaunting of their wickedness.

7 They search for more even in their abundance. They entertain vain fancies in their minds.
8 They mock with malice and plan oppression. From their positions of authority they command oppression.
9 They speak against God Himself, in order to say whatever they want on earth.

10-14 And keeping my heart pure passes unrewarded by God.

10 The people return to this philosophy and swallow its precepts completely
11 “How can God witness this iniquity, and not instantly arise to avenge His saints?”
12 We see that they wicked, and yet their prosperity seems to be perpetual.
13 If this is the order of things, then Asaph’s purity of heart and cleanness of hands are useless.
14 Not only does Asaph not receive reward, put he is being chastened.

15-28 The Road to God (Four Steps Forward)

15-17 Asaph’s response is to see things from God’s perspective.

15 He recognizes the importance of his choice.
16 He is troubled with this philosophy.
17 He puts himself in a place where God can meet him. Seeing God, he sees more clearly.

18-20 Asaph’s change in perspective changes his evaluation of the wicked:
Asaph now sees that…

18 God upholds morality and causes their way to unstable despite looking stable.
19 Their doom is unexpected, sudden, and complete.
20 Prosperity lasts for a night; judgement comes in the morning;
God will despise their image.

21-26 Asaph’s change in perspective changes his perception of God.

21 When his mind and emotions were envious and bitter
22 He was blind to the reality of God, like an animal.
23 But God was always there, leading Asaph back to Himself.
24 Guiding him, and receiving him to glory
25 There is nothing anywhere more important or more reliable than God.
26 His life and mind will give out and fail, but his hope is in God to be his strength

27-28 Asaph can have this trust and assurance because Yahweh is God who upholds the righteous and makes the path of the wicked perish.

27 Being far from God leads to Death, since God is the source of all Life.
28 Asaph values the nearness of God and trusts in Yahweh as Lord.
Now, rather than keep his thoughts to himself (vs. 15)
Asaph can proclaim his new understanding and affirm,
“Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!”

 

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.
Teacher: David John Marotta
Part of the Series: Understanding Psalms
Resources: Understanding Hebrew Poetry

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Passages, Psalms Tagged With: Psalms, righteous, wicked

02 Living the Psalms

July 4, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

Living the Psalms | WednesdayintheWord.com

Living the Psalms Lecture Notes*

NOTE: *The audio recording of this presentation was lost. Below is a compilation of notes from those who attended.

New Bible Commentary (1 Volume) – has a great commentary on the Psalms by A. Motyer. Recommend this for a good, overall, 1-volume commentary.

Overview

  • Psalms are the prayer book & hymn book of the Bible; They are meant to teach us how to pray and praise.
  • Psalms is the longest book in Bible. These are God’s words, and therefore they teach accurate ways to approach God.
  • Psalms are written in poetry. Poetry expresses our emotions & deepest longings; and speaks more in metaphor and image; poetry requires a different kind of interpretation.
  • It used to be that pastors were required to memorize all 150 Psalms before entering the ministry.
  • We tend to hide from God, and then adopt “holy vocabulary”. Psalms instead are honest. We’re good at faking – looking good on the outside when we are wrecks on the inside. We do this with each other, but there’s danger in bringing that posture to God, and subtly attempting to polish/perform in front of God to gain His favor. Psalms teach us how to be honest before God.
  • We tend to pray based on our circumstances (self-referential). Psalms help us to pray on God’s agenda. Praying this way defines reality based on God rather than on me. We tend to approach God on “what do I need” or” how do I get God to bless my agenda.” Psalms teach us to focus on God’s agenda.
  • More psalms of lament than any other type. They people of God need to learn to cry out to God (not about God). This suggests that suffering is normal and we ought to be prepared for it. Need to learn to complain to God in faith, not complain about God.
  • Learn the Psalms as a child learning to speak, by repeating and mimicking, so we ought to learn the language of God. The Spirit takes the words of the Psalms and reshapes our lives.
  • Jesus most often quoted Psalms.

Walter Bruggemann developed a way to categorize psalms:

Orientation – psalms which celebrate God & creation; (praise, etc.) e.g. Psalm. 1
Disorientation – lament psalms (sin and consequence) – Psalm 51 & Psalm 88
Reorientation – start as laments and end with praise (God reverses our despair and self pity) – Psalm 73

Examples:

Psalm 1 (Wisdom or Orientation Psalm)
Notice contrasting images of tree vs chaff

  • Vs 1-3 = Righteous
  • Vs 1 = A (Blessed)
  • Vs 2 = B (Character)
  • Vs 3 = C (Results)
  • Vs 4-6 = Wicked
  • Vs 4 = C (Results)
  • Vs 5 = B (Character)
  • Vs 6 = A (no blessed)

Psalm 51 (Lament, disorientation)
Model for confession and repentance
Notice:

  • basis for request (God’s mercy)
  • who the transgression is against
  • how it’s accomplished
  • “create” vs 10 only used in Scripture of God’s activity

Psalm 88 – Disorientation
a psalm that gives expression to the feeling that God has left us. But notice it’s addressed to God. God is still there even when you don’t see it

Psalm 145
Acrostic Psalm; each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet (ABCD, etc). A-Z – explains the goodness of God and summons us to understand life from His perspective.

Next: 03 Interpreting the Psalms

Previous: 01 How to Study the Psalms

Series: How to Study Psalms

Resources: Psalms

For more: Bible Study 101

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Passages, Psalms Tagged With: Psalms, teaching

Psalms

June 29, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

How to study and understand the Psalms plus examples of specific psalms.


Individual Psalms

Psalm 1 – The righteous and the wicked

Teacher Krisan Marotta; Season 12 episode 7

Psalm 19 –  “The heavens declare the glory of God”

Teacher: Libby Taggart; Season 12 episode 8

Psalm 27 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?…”

Teacher Krisan Marotta; Season 12 episode 9

Psalm 49 – The Folly of Trusting in Riches

Teacher: David John Marotta; Season 12 episode 10

Psalm 73 – The end of the wicked contrasted with that of the righteous

Teacher: David John Marotta; Season 12 episode 11

Psalm 107 – The Lord delivers us from manifold troubles

Teacher: David John Marotta; Season 12 episode 12

Psalm 109 – Vengeance invoked upon adversaries

Teacher: David John Marotta; Season 12 episode 13

Psalm 130 – “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!”

Teacher Libby Taggart; Season 12 episode 14

Psalm 143 – “Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications!…”

Teacher Krisan Marotta; Season 12 episode 15

Resources: Understanding Hebrew Poetry

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How to Study Psalms

01 How to Study the Psalms Teacher: David John Marotta; Season 12 Episode 16

02 Living the Psalms Teacher: David Turner (no audio)

03 Interpreting the Psalms Teacher: Bill Wilder; Season 12 Episode 17

04 Meeting God in the Psalms Teacher: David John Marotta; Season 12 Episode 18

05 Sharing the Psalms Teacher: Ed Scully; Season 12 Episode 19

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I offer my bible studies, podcasts and resources free of charge under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License.  I do not seek or accept advertising, affiliations or donations. But it does encourage me to hear from you about how you used these studies and/or what you learned.

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Where to next?

New Testament Studies

Old Testament Studies

Topical Studies

Bible Study 101


Photo by EFDAL YILDIZ on Unsplash

Podcast Season 12, episodes 7-19

Filed Under: Old Testament, Series Tagged With: Psalms, Series

05 Sharing the Psalms

June 22, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

https://media.blubrry.com/wednesday_in_the_word_with/www.wednesdayintheword.com/wp-content/uploads/sermons/WITW-20160622-ES.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:38 — 17.0MB) | Embed

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Sharing the Psalms | WednesdayintheWord.com

Tips for polishing your presentation

Background

  • Historical Culture context
  • Find out what they know
  • Fill in the gaps, add to knowledge
  • Category/genre of psalm
  • Poetic structure of psalm
  • Purpose: what do you want them to get out of the study?
  • Personal connection (prompt them to relate to the text)
  • Rhetorical question
  • Interesting thought
  • Challenge, inspire
  • Brief story
  • “Write down 3 experiences…”

Lesson

  • Look at structure and raise questions
  • Relate to other psalms in genre as it is helpful for interpretation
  • Examine OT/NT references, “what is the connection?”
  • Note internal unity of psalm, “why this change in thought pattern or poetic structure?”
  • How does this fit with the broad message of Scripture? (Gospel & Kingdom)
  • What does this tell us about the character of God
  • Share your personal struggles/questions/thought processes
  • As questions throughout
  • Provide illustrations from your own experiences/solicit theirs
  • Engage everyone throughout Alternate modalities
  • Mix application activities with instruction
  • Relate to the different stages of life in the group
  • Encourage higher levels of faith, moral development
  • Do in class what you want them to do at home (practice) read it, pray it, meditate on it, sing it
  • personalize it, write about it (journal)

Summary

  • Tie into key themes of the study (How does your piece fit into the whole?)
  • What have we learned?
  • Finish with an open-ended question — something to ponder
  • Assign a spiritual application
  • Come back to your initial question or personal connection
  • Reflect on the meaning of the psalm in your life
  • Purpose in your heart

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Previous: 04 Meeting God in the Psalms

Series: How to Study Psalms

Resources: Psalms

For more: Bible Study 101

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Passages, Psalms Tagged With: presenting, Psalms

01 How to Study the Psalms

May 25, 2016 by Krisan Marotta

https://media.blubrry.com/wednesday_in_the_word_with/www.wednesdayintheword.com/wp-content/uploads/sermons/WITW-20160525-DJM.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:30 — 17.2MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | RSS | More

Psalms-750

David John Marotta gives an introduction to how to study the Psalms for yourself.

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Next: 02 Living the Psalms

Series: How to Study Psalms

Resources: Psalms

Understanding Hebrew Poetry

For more: Bible Study 101

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Passages, Psalms Tagged With: Hebrew Poetry, parallelism, Psalms

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