Psalms Prayer Book of Gods People

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Psalms Prayer Book of Gods People

• VCEFC
• April 6, 2008

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Psalms Prayer Book of Gods People

• 1. What are some of your favourite passages from
  Psalms?
• 2. In your own spiritual experience, where and
  when do you come across the Psalms most often?

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A. Importance of the Psalms

• 1. Psalms as the prayer book of Gods people.
• For centuries, the Christian church has been
  using the Psalms as a way to pray. Prayer is the
  most important aspect of our spiritual lives.
• Most of us dont know how to pray very well.
  Psalms gives us the language, grammar, syntax of
  prayer.
• Connects us to the historic people of God through
  the ages.

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A. Importance of the Psalms

• 1. Psalms as the prayer book of Gods people
• No prayer, no spiritual life. Trains us to pray
  in ways that are right and honest. Prayer book
  of the OT people of God. Prayer book of Jesus.
• Full range of experiences and emotions that we
  can come to God in prayer. Teaches us to know
  what it truly means to be human.
• Praise 145, I will bless you every day.
• Despair 42, As the deer pants for water, so my
  soul longs after You
• Anger 37, Stop your anger! Turn from your
  rage!
• Doubt 73, Was it for nothing that I kept my
  heart pure and myself from doing wrong?
• Hope 23, He leads me beside quiet waters. Even
  when I walk through the valley of death, I shall
  not fear.
• Psalms our words given by God to us so that we
  can pray. He teaches us how to pray. How does
  the Spirit pray and intercede for us when we
  dont know how to pray? Ans Psalms.

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A. Importance of the Psalms

• 2. Authorship
• Moses Psalm 90, one of the earliest
• David 73 of them (less than half)
• Asaph (Music Director during reign of David and
  Solomon) - 12 of them (50, 73-83)
• Sons of Korah Levites who served in the temple
  12 of them (42-49, 84-85, 87-88)
• Solomon 2 of them (72, 127)
• Anonymous 48 of them.
• Some Psalms have inscriptions that give you
  context. Psalm 3 A Psalm of David, regarding
  the time David fled from his son Absalom.
• Put into a collection by the 4th or 3rd century
  B.C.

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B. Understanding the Psalms

• OT Poetry
• Hymns, poetry, lyrics to worship songs. Poetry is
  meant to be emotive and to move the heart. Poetry
  is the language of love. Stretches the
  imagination and creativity.
• Poetry is intentionally metaphorical. Poetry
  allows for hyperboles intentional exaggerations
  in order to evoke a response of the heart.
• Lots of repetition.
• Poetry do not function primarily for teaching
  doctrine.
• Look for emotions, rhythms, and colours.

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B. Understanding the Psalms
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C. Collection of Psalms

• There are five books or collections
• I 1-41
• II 42-72
• III 73-89
• IV 90-106
• V 107-150
• First five books of the Bible Torah, Gods Word
  to us. Psalms is our response to God.
• For every word that God speaks to us, we respond,
  because we are in relationship with the living
  God.
• Acrostics A, B, C, D, Hebrew alphabet.

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Types of Psalms

• 1. Lament
• Individual Lament 3, 22, 31, 39, 42, 57, 71,
  120, 139, 142
• Corporate Lament - 12, 44, 80, 94, 137
• 2. Thanksgiving
• Individual Thanksgiving -18, 30, 32, 34, 40, 66,
  92, 116,118,138
• Corporate Thanksgiving - 65, 67, 75, 107, 124, 136

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Types of Psalms

• 3. Psalms of Praise
• Creation 8, 19, 104, 148
• Protector Provider 66, 100, 111, 114, 149
• 4. Salvation
• 78, 105, 106, 135, 136
• 5. Psalms of Celebration
• Covenant renewal 50, 81, 89, 132
• Royal Psalms 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 101, 110, 144

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Types of Psalms

• 6. Wisdom Psalms
• 36, 37, 49, 73, 112, 127, 128, 133
• 7. Songs of Trust
• 11,16,23,27,62,63,91,121,125,131

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How to Study the Psalms

• 1. Read a Psalm in its entirety
• 2. Discover the type of Psalm that it is by
  asking questions like
• What kind of emotions does this Psalm evoke in
  the reader?
• 3. Meditate on imagery, parallelism, and
  metaphors.
• 4. Pray the Psalm
• 5. Think about how praying this Psalm might
  reorient me to think about reality differently.
• 6. In public worship and liturgy.

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Psalm 1

• 1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the
  counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way
  of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
  scornful.
• 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD and
  in his law doth he meditate day and night.
• 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the
  rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in
  his season his leaf also shall not wither and
  whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
• 4The ungodly are not so but are like the chaff
  which the wind driveth away.
• 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the
  judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
  righteous.
• 6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous
  but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

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Psalm 41

• 1 Happy are they who consider the poor and
  needy! The LORD will deliver them in the time
  of trouble.2 The LORD preserves them and keeps
  them alive,so that they may be happy in the
  land he does not hand them over to the will of
  their enemies.3 The LORD sustains them on their
  sickbed and ministers to them in their
  illness.4 I said, "LORD, be merciful to me
  heal me, for I have sinned against you."5 My
  enemies are saying wicked things about me
  "When will he die, and his name perish?"6
  Even if they come to see me, they speak empty
  words their heart collects false rumorsthey
  go outside and spread them.7 All my enemies
  whisper together about me and devise evil
  against me.

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Psalm 41

• 8 "A deadly thing," they say, "has fastened on
  him he has taken to his bed and will never get
  up again."9 Even my best friend, whom I
  trusted,who broke bread with me, has lifted up
  his heel and turned against me.10 But you, O
  LORD, be merciful to me and raise me up, and I
  shall repay them.11 By this I know you are
  pleased with me, that my enemy does not triumph
  over me.12 In my integrity you hold me fast,
  and shall set me before your face for ever.13
  Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, from age to
  age. Amen. Amen.