Living with Psalms – Bible Study with Pastor Jim Rhea
Dec
I still remember the birth
of our children, and the first time I held them in my arms. I felt
completely overwhelmed with both love and fear. How was I going to
take care of this precious little person? Could I possibly live up
to all that I needed to be as a father?
I suppose Joseph and Mary felt the same way – only more
so? This baby of theirs was God’s son, the salvation of the world
entrusted to their keeping. Psalm 25, like so many of the Psalms,
deals with situations where we are overwhelmed by the enormity of the
challenge. I like the words. They seem to give me assurance:
“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths, guide me in your
truth.” (v. 3-4)
PSALM 25
1-2 My head is high,
God, held high; I'm looking to you, God; No hangdog skulking for me.
3 I've thrown in my lot with you;
You won't embarrass me, will you? Or let my enemies get the best of me?
Don't embarrass any of us who went out on a limb for you. It's the
traitors who should be humiliated.
4 Show me how you work, God; School me
in your ways.
5 Take me by the hand; Lead me down
the path of truth. You are my Savior, aren't you?
6 Mark the milestones of your mercy
and love, God; Rebuild the ancient landmarks!
7 Forget that I sowed wild oats; Mark
me with your sign of love. Plan only the best for me, God!
8 God is fair and just; He corrects
the misdirected, Sends them in the right direction.
9 He gives the rejects his hand, and
leads them step-by-step.
10 From now on every road you travel will take you
to God. Follow the Covenant signs; Read the charted directions.
11 Keep up your reputation, God; forgive my bad
life; it’s been a very bad life.
12 My question: What are God-worshipers like? Your
answer: Arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye.
CONTINUE READING VERSES 13-22
Week of December 7 Psalm 25
Here is a wonderful Psalm, which provides
encouragement, guidance, and pardon. Parts of it read just like a
prayer—verses 4–7, 16–18, and 20–21. Think about this prayer. Apply it
to your own life circumstances. Pray it.
I see so many words in Psalm 25 that describe a life of faithfulness to
God, not the least of which are integrity and uprightness in verse 21.
Circle or list the attributes of faith throughout this Psalm. Promise to
strive to live them out, especially in these days before Christmas.
Dec
“Lift up your heads, Ye mighty gates.
Behold the king of glory waits.
The King of Kings is drawing near.
The Savior of the world is here.”
These are the words of the Advent hymn (#213 in our UM Hymnal) based on
today’s psalm, number 24. The words parallel the psalm and have
become associated with the promised coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas.
The Old Testament writings point the way to God’s saving action in Jesus
Christ.
Open the gates, the door of your heart…that the King of Glory may
come in.
“Redeemer come with us abide; our hearts
to thee we open wide. Let us thy inner presence feel;
Thy grace and love in us reveal!”
PSALM 24
1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it, God
claims World and all who live on it. He built it on Ocean
foundations, laid it out on River girders.
3-4 Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy
north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who
won't cheat, women who won't seduce.
5-6 God is at their side; with God's help they make
it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers.
7 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake
up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
8 Who is this King-Glory? God,
armed and battle-ready.
9 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake
up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
10 Who is this King-Glory?
God-of-the-Angel-Armies: he is King-Glory.
Week of December 14 Psalm 24
Psalm 24 is a classic, suited for Advent Christian worship. Originally used as a “hymn of ascent for a Davidic king,” it is now applied to Christianity as a hymn of the promised coming of Christ. The familiar words of verses 1–6 are an invitation to seek God through church worship. Take a moment to thank God for your church and all that it means to you.
Dec
After counting down from Psalm 150, one psalm
studied and lived with each week, we have come to the 23rd….the most
beloved psalm of all. “The Lord is my shepherd.”
On the Sunday before Christmas, it seems warmly appropriate for us to
talk of the birth of the One who would be called “The Good Shepherd,”
whose Bethlehem birth was announced by angels to lowly shepherds in
their fields, and whose kingdom parables would teach of the value of
lost sheep and lost souls. Experience Psalm 23 again in all its
beauty. Then say the words, like a prayer: “My Shepherd. My
Shepherd!”
Psalm 23
1-3 God, my shepherd! I
don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me
quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
4 Even when the way goes
through Death Valley,
I'm not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd's crook
makes me feel secure.
5 You serve me a six-course
dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.
6 Your beauty and love chase
after me
every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.
Week of December 21 Psalm 23—The Twenty-Third Psalm
I find it more than serendipitous that the most beloved of all the
Psalms should come due for study on the week of Christmas. It is a
powerful reminder of why Jesus came to us—not just to be a baby, but a
shepherd for our souls. Read the Psalm again, in another translation if
you have one. What are the times and occasions when Psalm 23 has been
important to you in bringing comfort, assurance, or hope?
The twenty-third is also called the Shepherd Psalm. Think of that image.
Compare it with Jesus’ words in John 10:11–16. Does this give special
meaning to the appearance of shepherds in the story of Jesus’ nativity?
Try praying a Christmas prayer to Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Dec
Lauren Winner says that “We need an
adult version of the Christmas Story”, one that recognizes that
Christmas is not cheery for everyone. I hope that all who attended
our “Grief and the Holidays” workshop were given some help in this
important area.
The news of Christmas has been about more than the story of a cute baby,
but the genuine good news of a God who comes to bind up the
broken-hearted.
Psalm 22 is one of the bible’s deepest laments. It knows what life
can dish out. But it also remembers that God “has not hidden his
face, and has listened to our cry for help.” (v.24). As you study Psalm
22, remember that Jesus came because of our hurt. That fills me
with hope….and with joy!”
Psalm 22
1-2 God, God...my God!
Why did you dump me miles from nowhere?
Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long. No answer.
Nothing. I keep at it all night, tossing and turning.
3-5 And you! Are you indifferent, above it
all, leaning back on the cushions of Israel's praise? We know you were
there for our parents: they cried for your help and you gave it; they
trusted and lived a good life.
6-8 And here I am, a nothing—an earthworm,
something to step on, to squash.
Everyone pokes fun at me; they make faces at me, they shake their heads:
"Let's see how God handles this one; since God likes him so much, let
him help him!"
9-11 And to think you were midwife at my
birth, setting me at my mother's breasts! When I left the womb you
cradled me; since the moment of birth you've been my God. Then you moved
far away and trouble moved in next door.
I need a neighbor.
12-13 Herds of bulls come at me, the raging
bulls stampede, Horns lowered, nostrils flaring, like a herd of buffalo
on the move.
14-15 I'm a bucket kicked over and spilled,
every joint in my body has been pulled apart. My heart is a blob of
melted wax in my gut. I'm dry as a bone, my tongue black and swollen.
They have laid me out for burial in the dirt.
CONTINUE READING VERSES 16-31
Week of December 28 Psalm 22
Psalm 22 begins with a familiar-sounding and ancient
lament (v. 1). Check Matthew 27:46, where Jesus quotes this Psalm in
some of his final words from the cross in their original Aramaic
language. Why is it significant that Jesus would quote an Old Testament
phrase?
Looking at the rest of the Psalm, as it might apply to Jesus, what other
images seem particularly meaningful? Suggestions: verses 7, 9–10, 14–18.
Is it clear to you that Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection are cast
within God’s greater plan to redeem his people? All people? Pray for the
world. For yourself. May God’s promises be fulfilled in you!