LESSON 11 • Praise and Petition (Book of Psalms)

INTRODUCTION

One of my favorite Steven Curtis Chapman songs is “Upon the Mountain”. I can relate to his musical description of mountain top experiences especially on those days when it feels like I’ve taken a sip of one of Harry Potter’s good luck potions. Unfortunately, Steven also painfully reminds me of those walks I’ve taken through a valley. So, how are you feeling today? Can you express yourself honestly to God about these emotions? The purpose of Psalms is to provide poetry for the expression of praise, worship, thanksgiving, and confession to God through prayer and song. God desires his people to confide in Him, to praise Him, and to thank Him. This first book of literature in the Old Testament is an ancient Jewish songbook full of heart-felt expressions of praise and petition. But it was more than a songbook. Perhaps it provided a form of daily devotion much like the many modern devotional books we find in our bookstores. Did you know that God gave us a devotional book right in the middle of our bible? Let’s take a new look at psalms. In it we’ll find numerous examples of how we can approach God today. 

SUGGESTED APPROACH

Chapter 11 of Albert Bayliss book, From Creation to the Cross, is quite lengthy and in depth. It could easily take up the entire class time. However, it gives great insight into how and why the psalms were written and probably deserves an overview as part of the class. I’ve offered a chapter outline below that I hope can easily help you present the main points from the book. I’ve also provided a section on Relating to the Psalms Today. I suggest using this section and the discussion questions as a way to discover how we can relate to and use the psalms in our worship and personal lives.

OUTLINE OF CHAPTER 11
The Psalms express the praise, petition, struggles, emotions, celebration, worship and wisdom of Israel in relation to her creator and redeemer. Many of these struggles and feelings are the same as we experience.

I FEATURES OF THE PSALMS

A. The Title “Psalms”
1. Psalms, Psalter from Greek Septuagint: “a song accompanied by stringed instruments”.
2. Tehellim, The traditional Hebrew title: “Praises”.
3. Individual psalms may also have their own title.

B. The Layout
1. Written over about a 1000-year period. From Moses to the Babylonian exile.
2. Not one hymnbook but a collection of five all with different authors.
3. David was primary author.

C. The Poetry of the Psalms, (Two dominant elements of Hebrew poetry)
1. Parallelism, The poet repeats his basic idea in different words.
2. Rhythm, Different from what we understand but still there.

D. Types of Psalms, a psalm may be one or a combination of the different types.
1. Penitential psalms – Psalmist confesses sin.
2. Hallel psalms – Prasies to the Lord
3. Songs of ascent – For the occasion of “going up” (ascent) to Jerusalem at one or more of the yearly festivals.
4. Wisdom psalms – Contemplative about life and involve some of the same elements as we see in the book of Proverbs.
5. Messianic psalms – Anticipate the ideal anointed King.
6. Imprecatory psalms – Call upon God to judge the enemies.
i. Calling for God to bring just punishment is not personal vengeance but is turning all vengeance over to the Lord.
ii. The King may call for victory in a just war, not for personal vengeance.
7. Lament or complaint psalms – Find the writer in a jam.
i. A call to God for help.
ii. The psalmist expresses his difficulty (lament) and also his fears, feelings, anxieties and frustration.
iii. Confession of trust in God for deliverance.
8. Thanksgiving psalms – A praise to God for answering a prayer, perhaps referring to a request made in a Lament psalm.
9. The hymn – Praising God for what he is like and who he is.

II THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS

The Psalms are not just about human experience; they also reflect a certain perspective and world view as well. What outlook do they affirm?

A. The God of the psalms “Yahweh” is Creator and King over all creation. That means he is in total control. 
Example: Psalm 8

B. God is Redeemer. He is frequently pictured as a Rock, Fortress, and deliverer. 
Example: Psalm 103: 3-5

C. The Presence of God. Example: Psalm 84: 1-4

D. The life of faith. Examples: Psalm 62:12, Psalm 23

E. The Covenants. The Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants form the backdrop of some of the psalms but the Davidic Covenant provides the strongest backdrop.

III THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PSALMS

The New Testament quotes the Psalms directly at least ninety-six times with perhaps two hundred more allusions. Many of these involved Jesus. Most however, are not predictions about Jesus but experiences of David and Israel. Jesus’ identity is not left as a vague guess for those faithful Israelites who know their hymnal. This doesn’t mean Christ cannot be seen in the psalms in the form of prophecy (Messianic psalms). There is at least one psalm (Ps. 110:1) where David speaks of another King whom he calls “Lord”. Also, Psalm 22 seems to be looking ahead to the crucifixion.

RELATING TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS TODAY

1. Meditating on the psalms can help us better express our own feelings to God. Name an emotion; one you may have had recently. Chances are, whatever the mood or need, one or more of the psalms will probably reflect the feeling or address the problem. Examples:

a. Searching for wisdom: Psalm 1
b. Where is God when times are tough? Psalm 10: 1-2, 14-15
c. When I’m fearful: Psalm 46: 1-3
d. In awe of creation and nature: Psalm 19, Psalm 8:3-4
e. When I’m thankful: Psalm 100

2. They help me answer the question, “Who is God?”

3. They can increase my understanding of what the Heart of Worship truly is. For Christians the book of psalms isn’t a book about methods of worship. For that we have the New Testament. However, the book of psalms can teach us much about the heart and spirit of worship.
a. Worship is not just something I do on Sundays. Worship is my Life. Rom.12:1 “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” The psalmist shows me how this can be done.

Psalm 113: 1-3 
Psalm 34:1

b. Worship is surrendering to God and placing my total Trust in Him.

Psalm 23
Psalm 37:3-7

c. Worship is meditation on God’s Word.

Psalm 119:97

d. Worship is Praise. There are some great examples in the psalms on how I can open my heart to God through song and prayer.

Psalm 147:1, 7 Through song
Psalm 4:1 Through prayer

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In what ways can you live a life of praise to God? In other words, how can you become a living psalm?

2. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer after his sin with Bathsheba. When you are facing a sin that you need to confess and repent of, how do you feel about yourself? How can this psalm help you express your own feelings to God?

3. Why is Psalm 23 seen as a psalm of trust in God? In what area of your life do you find it the most difficult to trust God? Can you be honest with God about this?

4. What do you learn from Psalms about God’s power during times of need? During times of thanksgiving?

REFERENCES 

Jim Bell and Stan Campbell’s Guide to the Bible, Publisher: Alpha Books

Kendell H. Easley, Holman Quick Source to Understanding the Bible, Holman Bible Publishers

Neil Wilson and David Veerman, Student’s guide to the Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.