Week 7 | The Gift of Worship and Prayer | The Book of Psalms

The book of Psalms (the Psalter) is an anthology of Hebrew poetry that was used as a songbook for public worship in Israel. The people of God have loved the Psalms for centuries because they are intensely personal, expressing attitudes and emotions that connect with the reality of our own experience of life in this fallen world. The Psalms serve as examples of joy and frustration, hope and fear, prayer and praise. The Psalter proclaims the ringing affirmation that our God reigns over all the earth, and because He reigns in righteousness, we trust in Him and give Him praise. The first two psalms stand as an introduction, or gateway, into the book of Psalms.

• The first psalm offers wisdom to the individual, teaching that there are two contrasting ways of life—a way that leads to joyful fulfillment, or a way that leads to ultimate uselessness. The psalm gives a short, summary of what a person’s way of life must look like in order to enjoy a life of productive fulfillment.

• The second psalm celebrates God’s glorious, inexorable plan for establishing His righteous Kingdom—a Kingdom where Jesus, God the Son, will reign as King forever.

1. Read Psalm 1: The Way of Blessing

a. There are two categories of individual human beings contrasted in this psalm. What are these two

categories? (Hint: look at verse 6 for the summary description).

b. What description do you find in verse 1 of the lifestyle of the man who is blessed? List 3 aspects that you find in verse 1. (Hint: the term way refers to one’s total way of life—the path of life that one follows.)

c. In Psalm 1, verse 2, what do you see as a source of joy in the life of the man who experiences the blessing of God? (Note: the term “the law of the LORD” as it is used here refers to God’s instruction and direction in contrast to “the counsel of the wicked”).

d. What figurative picture is given to describe this man who delights in God’s Word? (vs. 3)

e. What does this descriptive metaphor teach you about this man’s life?

f. By contrast, what does this psalm teach about the man who rejects God and is wicked? (vs. 4-6)

g. How does the metaphor of the firmly planted healthy tree in verse 3 capture your desire for your life and for the lives of your family? Complete this thought: “My hope for my children is that they …”

2. Read Psalm 2: The Kingdom is Coming

a. What attitudes are evident among those who reject God? (vs. 1-3)

b. What is God’s inexorable purpose in opposition to those who refuse to honor Him? (vs. 6)

c. How does God characterize His relationship with this King He has decreed? (vs. 7)

d. How does God describe this King’s domain? (vs. 8-9)

e. Reflect and connect to the New Testament: The term “Anointed One” in vs. 2 is the Hebrew word

transliterated as Messiah. From what you’ve learned so far, who is the King that this psalm references?

f. Read Revelation 19:11-16. What is the Kingdom to which this psalm ultimately refers?

g. How are God’s people to respond to this King? Name three specific responses listed in vs 11-12.

h. What is the outcome for those who respond rightly to this promised King? (vs. 12)

3. Read Psalm 103: Bless the LORD, O My Soul; Forget Not His Benefits

a. As David sings his praise to God in this psalm, what are the benefits listed in vs. 1-5 that have come to him from God?

b. We know that some diseases are incurable in this life; how are we to understand the statement from David that God heals all your diseases? (see Rev. 21:4-7)

c. What do you learn from vs. 6-8 about God’s character?

d. What do you learn from vs. 9-18 about God’s boundless, steadfast love for His people?

e. What do you learn about God’s majesty and authority from vs. 19-22?

f. In vs. 1-2, when David says, “Bless the LORD, O My soul…,” David is addressing himself—his own inner thoughts. David proclaims that each of us should have a mental mindset that remains humble and cognizant of God’s goodness toward us. How might you implement a discipline in your own life that fosters remembrance of God’s goodness toward you?

4. Read Psalm 139: Search Me, O LORD

a. The attribute of God that is being described in Psalm 139:1-6 is God’s omniscience. It is His comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of His creation, and particularly, His intimate knowledge of each of us. How does God’s omniscience help you feel secure in His love for you?

b. Verses 7-12 teach us about God’s omnipresence. This is the reality that God is present with us wherever we may be. If we must move to a distant land; God is there with us. If we are in the hospital, God is there with us. If we are put in prison; God is there with us. If we develop Alzheimer’s Disease and no longer know our right from our left—yet God is always with us. He is your Father. How does this comfort you?

c. Has there been a time in your life when God made His presence real to you even as you were displaced from familiar sources of comfort? Share with your group if you feel comfortable.

d. Verses 13-16 reveal God’s particular creative skill in shaping every aspect of who you are. His wonderful creative work also formed every person who is dear to you. Contemplate how great is His goodness toward you, and record your thoughts here.

e. Read verses 19-22. What is the psalmist’s response those who maliciously oppose the God of heaven? Is this response jarring to you? Why or why not?

f. Consider verses 23-24. What is the psalmist’s summary plea in this section? Is this the desire of your heart? Restate this plea in your own words, and take a moment to pray this back to God.