Book 3 (Psalms 73–89) We continue our journey through the psalms of “Book 3”. Following last month, we will pick two psalms that are not by David. These are from the sons of Korah. Korah led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron (see Numbers 16). His sons, however, did not die (see Numbers 26:9–11). The descendants of Korah served the Lord God faithfully. Do the sins of our parents (or grandparents) stop us from serving …
Psalm 85 In Psalm 85, I am reminded that the words SILENT and LISTEN have the same letters. My Lord teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault me … Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart. Let me get to[sic] used to the sounds of your voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away …
Psalm 73 Have any of us struggled with our faith, being perplexed by wicked prospering, often at the expense of us ordinary “Joe Bloggs” of this world, accepting also the ultimate justice and goodness of God, and soldiering on relentless? Psalm 73, written by musician Asaph, resonates with many believers, because it reflects the timeless human experience of grappling with doubt and finding solace in God’s presence. The psalm begins with a declaration of God’s …
Psalms – Hymns and Prayers of God’s people Book 3 (Psalms 73–89) Introduction Christopher Ash gives a fine introduction to Book 3 of the Psalms: Book 3 consists of Psalms 73–89. It has the scent of the Babylonian exile; this is most evident in Psalms 74, 79, and (probably) 80. The tone changes sharply from the emphatically Davidic themes of books 1 and 2. This is not to say that every psalm in book 3 …
Book 2: Psalms 42 to 72 As we gather around God’s Word to study another psalm, we come to God in prayer: Our Father in Heaven, we come into your presence to feast upon a portion of your Word. As we gather, pour out your Holy Spirit, so that our conversations may be guided by you and your will. Be with our loved ones while we are here and please protect them from all physical …
Words of repentance The words of Psalm 51:10 are included in the Offertory liturgy of the Service with Communion, page 13 of LHS. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Those who are serious about repentance in today’s moral climate will be swimming upstream. In the world we live in, it’s not particularly fashionable to repent of anything. We’re encouraged to assert ourselves, be good …
Book 2: Psalms 42 to 72 As you begin this study let us pray: Gracious Father, we thank you for the psalms and for those who wrote them. We ask that as we continue to look at the psalms that you will open our spiritual and physical eyes and ears to hear your word and appreciate our conversations with each other as we discuss the psalms. In your dear Son’s name. Amen. I have several …
Thirsty for God We know of the perils of being physically dehydrated; and not heeding the warning signs can have adverse health problems, even death. However, our alienation from God has an even more tragic consequence when we unknowingly are spiritually dehydrated. We only know of our need to drink of the Living Water, Jesus, when the Holy Spirit brings us to that realisation in his Word. As we reflect on Psalm 42: As the …
Psalms – Hymns and Prayers of God’s people How are we going, praying? Is prayer becoming more relaxed as we first reflect on his Word in our prayers. Can we get a sense of being in David’s shoes, for example, as we express the very depth of our being in very down-to-earth, even rhetorical language? A few thoughts in Psalm 23: God as the Shepherd dominates the psalm and is constant throughout. The emotional centre is v4 …
Psalms – Hymns and Prayers of God’s people Book 1: Psalms 3 to 41 We continue our journey through the psalms of “Book 1”. We will follow last month and just pick two psalms and look at them in more depth. I hope this encourages you to spend more time in the Psalms. Psalm 27 When I was young, I often had relatives (on my Mum’s side) ask me what my favourite psalm was. This …
Psalms – Hymns and Prayers of God’s people Book 1: Psalms 3 to 41 Introduction Last month we looked at the opening two Psalms, which provide an introduction to the whole collection. Christopher Ash argues that we should always keep Psalms 1 and 2 beside us as we read the other psalms: Psalms 1 and 2 have set before us a good rule and a good Ruler. The good rule is the Law of God …
Psalms – Hymns and Prayers of God’s people Whilst reading Psalm 15, it could be so easy just to tick off all the attributes of a Christian and think to ourselves that we measure up. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! God measured up, in sending Jesus to the cross for us. Jesus paid the price and now we, as baptised children of God, live in the power of Jesus’ resurrection. We are God’s temple and the mercy …