Psalms – Old Testament Survey

Psalm 150

This marks the fifth of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.” Compare this psalm with Psalm 1. Both have six verses. Psalm 1 opens with the man who is blessed and Psalm 150 closes with the God who is praised.

How do you praise Him? How do you worship? Think about your reaction to your favorite singer, show, or team. What do you do when you hear them, watch them, or see them? That exuberance should dominate your response to God who is everywhere evident. Is it?

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Psalm 149

This marks the fourth of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.”

This psalm is a bit more disturbing in its nature and has caused many to wage war in the name of God. The Peasants’ Revolt and the Thirty Years’ War to name two used verses 6-9 as their marching orders (Davidson, 1989). This is the worst possible interpretation of these verses. This is merely a psalm of praise to God who gave victory over nations to Israel. It is not a call to arms but a proclamation of praise for what has occurred as are the other psalms in this group.

After reading this psalm, where and how do you praise God most often?

Psalm 148

This marks the third of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.”

Everything is made to praise Him. All creation is made to praise Him, not merely those with breath. The heavens are command to praise Him (1-6), the earth is commanded to praise Him (7-10), and we are called to praise Him (11-14). We are called to praise Him without regard to what others are doing. Praise Him.

Media

Let Everything That Has Breath – Phillips, Craig and Dean

Psalm 147

This marks the second of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.”

What is the proper response to the majesty of creation? Praise to God. It’s not that He created all and left; He created all and sustains it for the express purpose of drawing our attention to Him (Colossians 1.16-18). Who alone can truly praise Him? Only those who call Him by Name.

I think we have confused praise with encouragement in our day. We are to praise the efforts of even those who do not do well. We should rephrase this to encourage those who have not done too well to continue toward excellence. We need to cease trivializing what true praise is. Again, is this demeaning of praise and attempt to take the glory from God that is due Him, to belittle what true praise is by praising that which is truly not praiseworthy?

What will God say to us, to you, to me, for what we have allowed to happen to praise? Those who know Him most should praise Him most. Declare your praise!

Media

Chris Tomlin – Indescribable

Psalm 146

This marks the beginning of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.”

The claim here is to present ourselves to God and Him alone. There is no alternative to Him (Romans 12.1-2). What follows through the rest of this psalm, verses 3-10, are reasons for us to present ourselves to Him.

Since you are called to imitate God, based on this psalm, what would your life look like? If we are called to do this ministry, what part does government play in our life? Is government meant to be only the enforcer of laws (Romans 13)? If the church did her part, which means all individual Christians, then the social needs of mankind would be met. What happened?

Psalm 134

This is the shortest psalm. It is the last of the Pilgrim Psalms. It is a response of those in fellowship with God, who are giving Him the praise due His name. This praise is to be continual (1 Thessalonians 5.16-17). Praise God on purpose today despite your circumstances. Oh, and this Sunday, give an “Amen” to your pastor during his sermon.

Psalm 136

Psalm 136 (2 Chronicles 7.3, 6)

We can neatly divide this psalm in two parts. The first is proclaiming God’s goodness based on the story of Creation. The second is proclaiming God’s goodness based on how He delivered Israel from captivity. Taking these two parts, we can see this psalm praises God for all that is in the Torah from Genesis to Deuteronomy.

The psalm stands out among all the psalms for the repetition of “for His steadfast love endures forever.” We know this psalm as the “Great Hallel” psalm and it was associated with the Feast of Passover. Today, it is used more as a call to worship (Davidson, 1998).

Attempt to listen to this psalm the way they may have read it by using two choirs to sing the lines. The choir to the left sang the historical truth and the choir to the right sang the refrain of God’s never-ending mercy. Hallelujah!

The meaning of the repeated phrase must include God’s faithfulness to who He is and what He has promised to do. To translate this with that meaning of חסד included: “for His faithfulness to Himself will never end” or “His Word stands with surety.” So, considering the ever-changing economy, culture, and world we live in, isn’t it great to know that He will never change? His truth is always true, no matter the circumstances and no matter what others claim.

Do you readily proclaim God’s goodness to those around you by what you do and what you say? Do they hear the choirs that resound the marvel of God’s faithfulness in your gait?

This might be a good exercise for each of us to do today: write one thing that God has done for you or in your family and write the refrain after it. Now, do this each day for a month. Compile the list in chronological order and upload it here. Let others see God’s goodness in you.

Media

Psalm 136 – Forerunner
Chris Tomlin – Forever
His Love Endures Forever

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com

Psalm 119.105-176

נ Nun Verses 105-112

God’s Word gives light, or understanding, to those who read and obey it. Jesus stated that He is the Light of the World. He is the fulfillment of God’s Word. He is the ultimate source of understanding (John 8.12-20). What is your fellowship with Him like? The essence of this section is for us to understand that we are living in increasingly dark times. For those who know Him, they will discern that they walk in dark times and they need His light to guide them.

The lamps in the psalmist days were small lights that lit only the next step or two. To often today, we desire God’s Word to be a bonfire or the sun revealing everything so we can get on with our life. The problem with this is self-evident. If God’s Word revealed all at once, we would be over-whelmed and then we would not rely daily on God and our fellowship with Him.

ס Samek Verses 113-120

In order to pursue what God has called us to, we must not merely dislike evil; we must hate it. However, this is still not enough. A case can be made that people who bomb abortion clinics have an hatred for evil. The man of God also must pursue God’s Word. This will keep us from becoming those who bomb abortion clinics. This is because we know that God would not do this. We need to realize that without God’s Word as our guide and His Holy Spirit sustaining us, we will be no different than those who do that activities we are called to hate. When we walk half in this world and half in God’s world, we are unstable and will fall (1 Corinthians 10.12; James 1.5-8; 2 Peter 3.17–18; and Jude 20–25).

An example of instability today is the thought that we can help people by giving them things, which is the entitlement programs found in today’s government. We believe we are doing the right thing (I don’t), but the result is always disastrous. We believe (I don’t) that doing something, even though it doesn’t end well, is better than doing nothing.

A graphic portrayal of this is found in 1 Kings 18 where Elijah is battling the priests of Baal (see verse 21 for a description of an unstable man).

See our sermon on John 6.16-21 on scrapping dross (DRW, 1998).

ע Ayin Verses 121-128

Only those who choose to obey God’s Word are His servants. They are the only ones who should expect God’s protection from calamitous people. This does not mean they will not suffer but that God’s hand is on them even in their trials. The psalmist prays for God to stand for his well-being. Jesus becomes this guarantee for us according to Hebrews 7.22.

פ Pe Verses 129-136

For what do we weep? Is it that God’s Word goes disobeyed? The only way for this to be our way of life is for us to live in God’s presence, before His face. These tears are for those who are missing the life that each of us were created for in God’s presence.

צ Tsadde Verses 137-144

Again, the only way for us to truly know God’s Word is for us to obey and act on His Word. Compare this section with Romans 7.12.

ק Qoph Verses 145-152

The Hebrew word for cry begins with a qoph. Thus, this section is centered around the word cry. What are your habits of studying God’s Word. Is it in the morning before your day begins? Is it during the night when sleeplessness is your lot. Every opportunity should be taken to understand, know, and love God’s Word. Our prayer life is enhanced by our study life (Acts 6.4 and John 15.7).

ר Resh Verses 153-160

Would man seek God’s truth if God did not call him to seek it? According to this section, no. God’s Word is Truth (John 17.17-19) and no man can know the truth without it being revealed to him by the author of that truth. The word “quicken” or “preserve” means to bring to life. God is just in doing this too. We would rail against Him for forcing us to do that which we had no desire to do. So, He gives us the desire that we desire but will not grant it to those who do not desire it.

ש Shin Verses 161-168

The bane of man should not keep us from praising God who is by far greater. Each time we open God’s Word we should exult in the treasures we find and praise Him for each of them.

ת Tau Verses 169-176

This closing section of Psalm 119 presents us with the only sacrifice we can truly offer God and that is a repentant heart bent on seeking Him.

Psalm 119.89-104

ל Lamed Verses 89-96

These verses establish the immutability of God’s Word (c.f., Isaiah 40.8; Matthew 24.35; and 1 Peter 1.25). Nature shows this truth as well. The seeming permanence of heaven mirrors God’s eternal faithfulness, love, and compassion for His creation. Just as the universe works according to His laws (91), so we must work according to His Word. We see, in society, today, what happens when we follow our own moral code instead of God’s. See our discussion on Psalm 72. The psalmist is reminding us of the eternal perfection of God’s established Word and how we fall short of it each time we stray from it.

מ Mem Verses 97-104

The psalmist presents how useful knowing God’s Word is for everyday life. When we obey God’s Word, His wisdom runs through us and our understanding of what life is truly about goes beyond our years, our teachers, and our enemies. We are truly wise. Read my testimony on this subject.

This lifestyle requires discipline and time. However, the results are astounding. How are you doing in knowing and loving God’s Word? You can easily answer this by how well you obey what it says.

Psalm 72

The question for the United States and believers today is “Can we see God’s work in our life as a fulfillment of what Messiah would do?”

Psalm 72

Discussion abounds as to the author of this psalm. Some attribute it to Solomon for it contains proverb-like verses (Spence-Jones, volume II, p 64-65, 2004). Others attribute it to David as a prayer for Solomon stating that Psalm 71 was a prayer of David for David in his old age and Psalm 72 is a prayer of David for Solomon in his early years (Henry, 1996). I will agree with Matthew Henry in that this is a prayer of David for Solomon, using verse 20 as a summation of Psalm 71 and Psalm 72 not as an end to the second book of the psalms. This psalm is considered an indirect messianic psalm in that it points to what a righteous king will accomplish.

Verse 1 sounds like David is praying for Solomon, But, NKJV makes it appear messianic (i.e., verse 7 states “His” not “his”). If David is praying for Solomon, he is indeed praying for his kingdom with messianic overtones for this is the prayer of all regents in Israel.

Verse 2 presents righteousness and justice being the guiding factor not equality of people as the United States does today. Verse 3 presents peace coming through righteousness, which includes justice. This would imply that righteousness produces a prosperous country, not equality. Righteousness and justice, including capital punishment and responsibility for behavior with appropriate consequences, produce hope and a future.

Verses 4, 12, and 14 demand that justice cares for the widow, the poor, and the oppressed resulting in a reverential fear for God (see verses 5, 11, and 13). This is not to be done by the state though, as is currently being pursued by the United States. It is to be pursued by the people of God. If the state occupies what the people are to do, the people will cease to do it, which is exemplified in this generation of people in the United States.

Verse 6 states when we pursue life the way God intended us to and seek to accomplish His work, righteousness will flourish (compare with verse 7). What evidence is there of this in the year 2012?

Verse 8 describes the physical boundaries of the nation of Israel as promised to Abraham (see 1 Kings 4.24).

The question for the United States and believers today is “Can we see God’s work in our life as a fulfillment of what Messiah would do?”