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I am beginning a 6 week series on the Psalms as it is my turn to lead the Wednesday night teaching and prayer service. It's alot like a Sunday School setting in that I will have discussion with the folks who attend and will be interupted , etc. all though the lesson. Anyway, I wanted to post my lesson to get your input. Let me know what you think. THANKS!
The Book of Psalms is an instruction manual for living an abundant and godly life. It is given to us for instruction, encouragement and teaching.
Psalm 78
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
It is given to us to transform us, and our behavior, so that we may be continuously molded and made aware of Gods will for our lives.
Romans 12 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The three parts of a psalm:
Quite often the second colon in a bi-colon will elaborate on the previous colon, sometimes further describing it, often intensifying its mood or meaning. Take Psalm 1:1 for example:
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
There is a downward progression that the blessed man avoids by not
1. walking in the counsel of the ungodly (taking bad advice from, or subjecting himself to, ungodly influence)
2. standing in the path of sinners (making bad choices or engaging in ungodly behaviors)
3. sitting in the seat of scoffers (developing a bad, prideful or superior attitude toward others and toward God)
Imagery is a very powerful tool used in the Psalms to convey the depth and meaning behind much of is written. To understand imagery the reader must look at the obvious and literal meaning of the words as well as their context. Take the bird fleeing to the mountain in Psalm 11:1 for example. What is the message behind the imagery? Taken literally we see the obvious. A bird flies away or flees when it feels threatened. It flees from danger and seeking refuge in the mighty mountain seems logical. The mountain is large, powerful and difficult to navigate on foot. Its hostile terrain keeps the birds enemies at bay.
However, the context of this poem tells us that the writer, David, trusts in God for protection, not the mountain. David is in danger, his friends are telling him to run, but David knows where his refuge is. Psalm 11 is faiths response to fears counsel. (James Montgomery Boice, An Expositional Commentary of the Psalms, Vol. 1) While flight and earthly refuge seems to be an obvious response, David knows that his refuge is in the Lord. The protection that the mighty mountain offers pales in comparison.
Now that we have learned a bit about the parts of this book of Hebrew poetry known as the Book of Psalms as well as a bit about the imagery contained therein, lets use what we know as we look at Psalm 1.
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Vs.1- Blessed from the Hebrew Asher meaning well-being in every aspect of life.
Notice again the downward progress of the verbs, from walk, to stand, to sit. The blessed mans walk or lifestyle is not one of ungodly influence or advice, nor is his conduct or stand one of ill repute. He does not live or sit with a scornful attitude. What then is his seat or delight? Vs. 2; His delight is in the law, or from the Hebrew Torah meaning instruction, of the Lord. The righteous person grows by an obedient response to scripture, which expresses the will of God. Vs. 3 tells us that he is a tree. As we did with Davids mountain, look at this literally for a moment. What are some of the attributes of a tree? It is strong, with a firm foundation, it bends but doesnt break, it is upright and alive. It grows strong and bears fruit. These strong boughs and its plentiful fruit provide shelter and feed and contribute to its environment and the creatures around it.
Continuing in vs. 3, can the upright man or tree live on its own? Can it feed and nourish itself? Certainly not! But it doesnt need to; its planted next to a river of water. It is continuously fed and provided for as we are by God. As the river feeds the tree, we are fed from a spring of Living Water that wells up inside of us, nourishing us and causing us to grow and bear good fruit. And not only will we not wither (which strikes me as assurance of our eternal security), but also whatever we do will prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Vs. 4 The contrast here is strong. Unlike the tree, firmly planted and constantly nourished, the ungodly are like chaff, lifeless and without foundation. When chaff is mentioned in the bible it is always in relation to something worthless and is often burned.
Vs. 5 The ungodly will be judged and found wanting, not to endure, but to be sifted and burned. They will not congregate with the righteous in heaven.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.[1]
Vs. 6 elaborates on vs. 5 by showing that the Lord has a personal relationship with (knows the way of) the righteous. We are alive because of Him!
Vs.6 continues to elaborate on vs. 5 as we see the final end of the ungodly. And again, a strong contrast, as we are alive because of Christ, the ungodly are dead without Him.
Who among us can claim to be the godly tree of Psalm 1? I know I cant. But by the grace of God, Who knew us before the foundations of the earth, we can strive to bear that good fruit. Why? Because Christ lived Psalm 1 in our place. We are clothed in His righteousness. (Justification) Jesus, The Spirit and His Word are rivers of life, working within us, stretching us, nourishing us and conforming us to become the blessed man of Psalm 1. (Sanctification)
[1]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.
Why Did God Give Us The Psalms and How Can We Understand Their Meaning For Us?
The Book of Psalms is an instruction manual for living an abundant and godly life. It is given to us for instruction, encouragement and teaching.
Psalm 78
A Contemplation of Asaph.
1 Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
It is given to us to transform us, and our behavior, so that we may be continuously molded and made aware of Gods will for our lives.
Romans 12 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The three parts of a psalm:
- Colon - a part of a line.
- Line a group of closely related cola. The most common are mono, bi, and tri cola.
- Strophe- a poetic paragraph. While most of the bible is written in story form or prose, the Psalms are written in poetic form.
Quite often the second colon in a bi-colon will elaborate on the previous colon, sometimes further describing it, often intensifying its mood or meaning. Take Psalm 1:1 for example:
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
There is a downward progression that the blessed man avoids by not
1. walking in the counsel of the ungodly (taking bad advice from, or subjecting himself to, ungodly influence)
2. standing in the path of sinners (making bad choices or engaging in ungodly behaviors)
3. sitting in the seat of scoffers (developing a bad, prideful or superior attitude toward others and toward God)
Imagery is a very powerful tool used in the Psalms to convey the depth and meaning behind much of is written. To understand imagery the reader must look at the obvious and literal meaning of the words as well as their context. Take the bird fleeing to the mountain in Psalm 11:1 for example. What is the message behind the imagery? Taken literally we see the obvious. A bird flies away or flees when it feels threatened. It flees from danger and seeking refuge in the mighty mountain seems logical. The mountain is large, powerful and difficult to navigate on foot. Its hostile terrain keeps the birds enemies at bay.
However, the context of this poem tells us that the writer, David, trusts in God for protection, not the mountain. David is in danger, his friends are telling him to run, but David knows where his refuge is. Psalm 11 is faiths response to fears counsel. (James Montgomery Boice, An Expositional Commentary of the Psalms, Vol. 1) While flight and earthly refuge seems to be an obvious response, David knows that his refuge is in the Lord. The protection that the mighty mountain offers pales in comparison.
Now that we have learned a bit about the parts of this book of Hebrew poetry known as the Book of Psalms as well as a bit about the imagery contained therein, lets use what we know as we look at Psalm 1.
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Vs.1- Blessed from the Hebrew Asher meaning well-being in every aspect of life.
Notice again the downward progress of the verbs, from walk, to stand, to sit. The blessed mans walk or lifestyle is not one of ungodly influence or advice, nor is his conduct or stand one of ill repute. He does not live or sit with a scornful attitude. What then is his seat or delight? Vs. 2; His delight is in the law, or from the Hebrew Torah meaning instruction, of the Lord. The righteous person grows by an obedient response to scripture, which expresses the will of God. Vs. 3 tells us that he is a tree. As we did with Davids mountain, look at this literally for a moment. What are some of the attributes of a tree? It is strong, with a firm foundation, it bends but doesnt break, it is upright and alive. It grows strong and bears fruit. These strong boughs and its plentiful fruit provide shelter and feed and contribute to its environment and the creatures around it.
Continuing in vs. 3, can the upright man or tree live on its own? Can it feed and nourish itself? Certainly not! But it doesnt need to; its planted next to a river of water. It is continuously fed and provided for as we are by God. As the river feeds the tree, we are fed from a spring of Living Water that wells up inside of us, nourishing us and causing us to grow and bear good fruit. And not only will we not wither (which strikes me as assurance of our eternal security), but also whatever we do will prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Vs. 4 The contrast here is strong. Unlike the tree, firmly planted and constantly nourished, the ungodly are like chaff, lifeless and without foundation. When chaff is mentioned in the bible it is always in relation to something worthless and is often burned.
Vs. 5 The ungodly will be judged and found wanting, not to endure, but to be sifted and burned. They will not congregate with the righteous in heaven.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.[1]
Vs. 6 elaborates on vs. 5 by showing that the Lord has a personal relationship with (knows the way of) the righteous. We are alive because of Him!
Vs.6 continues to elaborate on vs. 5 as we see the final end of the ungodly. And again, a strong contrast, as we are alive because of Christ, the ungodly are dead without Him.
Who among us can claim to be the godly tree of Psalm 1? I know I cant. But by the grace of God, Who knew us before the foundations of the earth, we can strive to bear that good fruit. Why? Because Christ lived Psalm 1 in our place. We are clothed in His righteousness. (Justification) Jesus, The Spirit and His Word are rivers of life, working within us, stretching us, nourishing us and conforming us to become the blessed man of Psalm 1. (Sanctification)
[1]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.