Theme: Judges Called to Account
From this week’s lessons we learn that government is given by God for the good of its people, and those who rule are responsible to act justly.
Scripture: Psalm 82:1-8
Theme: The Meaning of “Gods”
From this week’s lessons we learn that government is given by God for the good of its people, and those who rule are responsible to act justly.
Scripture: Psalm 82:1-8
What is the meaning of “gods” in this passage? Yesterday we considered the possibility that “gods” refers to human judges. Today we consider another possibility.
Theme: Authority Both Established and Limited
From this week’s lessons we learn that government is given by God for the good of its people, and those who rule are responsible to act justly.
Scripture: Psalm 82:1-8
We have already looked at the first verse, but we need to return to it again briefly because it sets the scene for what follows. It is a convening of the court. It is God calling the “gods” before him to render judgment.
Theme: God’s Indictment of Injustice
From this week’s lessons we learn that government is given by God for the good of its people, and those who rule are responsible to act justly.
Scripture: Psalm 82:1-8
Theme: Practice Justice!
From this week’s lessons we learn that government is given by God for the good of its people, and those who rule are responsible to act justly.
Scripture: Psalm 82:1-8
Theme: A Time to Work
This week’s lessons help us to celebrate Thanksgiving properly by impressing upon us the importance of continually expressing genuine thanks to the Lord for all his blessings.
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:10
Theme: A Time to Weep
This week’s lessons help us to celebrate Thanksgiving properly by impressing upon us the importance of continually expressing genuine thanks to the Lord for all his blessings.
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:10
The most striking of all these good but untimely activities was the time for weeping over sin that had begun as the people had attended to the reading of God’s law and was yet to continue in what became a great national movement of revival.
Theme: A Time to Share
This week’s lessons help us to celebrate Thanksgiving properly by impressing upon us the importance of continually expressing genuine thanks to the Lord for all his blessings.
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:10
Theme: A Time to Pray
This week’s lessons help us to celebrate Thanksgiving properly by impressing upon us the importance of continually expressing genuine thanks to the Lord for all his blessings.
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:10
Theme: Giving Thanks for All Things
This week’s lessons help us to celebrate Thanksgiving properly by impressing upon us the importance of continually expressing genuine thanks to the Lord for all his blessings.
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:10
Theme: When God Seems to Do Nothing
From this week’s lessons, we see that when we are wrongly attacked, we are not to seek vengeance, but instead are to entrust ourselves and the situation to God.
Scripture: Psalm 83:1-18
Theme: Surrounded by Enemies
From this week’s lessons, we see that when we are wrongly attacked, we are not to seek vengeance, but instead are to entrust ourselves and the situation to God.
Scripture: Psalm 83:1-18
Theme: Preservation in the Midst of Persecution
From this week’s lessons, we see that when we are wrongly attacked, we are not to seek vengeance, but instead are to entrust ourselves and the situation to God.
Scripture: Psalm 83:1-18
Theme: Appealing for God’s Judgment
From this week’s lessons, we see that when we are wrongly attacked, we are not to seek vengeance, but instead are to entrust ourselves and the situation to God.
Scripture: Psalm 83:1-18
Theme: Praying for Grace
From this week’s lessons, we see that when we are wrongly attacked, we are not to seek vengeance, but instead are to entrust ourselves and the situation to God.
Scripture: Psalm 83:1-18
Theme: Longing for God’s House
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the need to long after God, who delights in his people as they trust in him.
Scripture: Psalm 84:1-12
Theme: Security in the Lord
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the need to long after God, who delights in his people as they trust in him.
Scripture: Psalm 84:1-12
As I have read over the various commentaries on this psalm, I sense that the understanding of it that I shared yesterday eliminates a lot of the scholarly barnacles that surround it and opens it up to us in fresh ways.
Theme: Of Sparrows and Swallows
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the need to long after God, who delights in his people as they trust in him.
Scripture: Psalm 84:1-12
There are probably some poetic overtones to the mention of the sparrows and swallows in this psalm, and they are not inappropriate to the writer’s message. This is only to say that the imagery supports the writer’s message, as it should.
Theme: Blessings from God’s House
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the need to long after God, who delights in his people as they trust in him.
Scripture: Psalm 84:1-12
Theme: Living by Faith
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the need to long after God, who delights in his people as they trust in him.
Scripture: Psalm 84:1-12
Monday: An Upward Look by a Downcast Soul, Scene 1
Theme: When Christians Are Depressed
In this week’s lessons we learn from the psalmist some reasons why the Lord’s people get depressed, and what their spiritual response needs to be.
Scripture: Psalms 42-43
Theme: Causes of Spiritual Depression
In this week’s lessons we learn from the psalmist some reasons why the Lord’s people get depressed, and what their spiritual response needs to be.
Scripture: Psalms 42-43
These two psalms give at least six reasons for depression, and they indicate the cure. What are the causes of spiritual depression? There are undoubtedly more than these psalms list, but the place to begin is with the causes that are given.
Theme: A Psalm for the Discouraged
In this week’s lessons we find encouragement from the knowledge of God’s past faithfulness, and the hope of future blessings because of who he is.
Scripture: Psalm 85:1-13
Theme: Remembering God’s Mercy
In this week’s lessons we find encouragement from the knowledge of God’s past faithfulness, and the hope of future blessings because of who he is.
Scripture: Psalm 85:1-13
Theme: Prayer for Restoration and Revival
In this week’s lessons we find encouragement from the knowledge of God’s past faithfulness, and the hope of future blessings because of who he is.
Scripture: Psalm 85:1-13
Theme: Waiting for God’s Answer
In this week’s lessons we find encouragement from the knowledge of God’s past faithfulness, and the hope of future blessings because of who he is.
Scripture: Psalm 85:1-13
Having reminded himself of God’s past mercies and having prayed for a renewal of those mercies in his own day, what does the psalmist do next? He does what Habakkuk did in a nearly identical situation. He waits for God to answer (vv. 8, 9). The text says, “I will listen to what God the LORD will say.”
Theme: The Harmony That Only God Can Bring
In this week’s lessons we find encouragement from the knowledge of God’s past faithfulness, and the hope of future blessings because of who he is.
Scripture: Psalm 85:1-13
Theme: Questions about Christ’s Birth
In this week’s Christmas lessons, we reflect on the wonder of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of God’s great love for lost and helpless sinners.
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Theme: Why the God-Man?
In this week’s Christmas lessons, we reflect on the wonder of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of God’s great love for lost and helpless sinners.
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
The great medieval theologian, Anselm of Canterbury, wrestled with this idea of the necessity of God becoming man. In fact, it is the title of his well-known book, Cur Deus Homo (Latin for “Why the God-Man?”).
Theme: Our Need for Redemption
In this week’s Christmas lessons, we reflect on the wonder of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of God’s great love for lost and helpless sinners.
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Theme: Why Did God Do It?
In this week’s Christmas lessons, we reflect on the wonder of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of God’s great love for lost and helpless sinners.
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Theme: A Startling Idea
From this week’s Christmas study, we look carefully at the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and how it fulfills the Old Testament tabernacle.
Scripture: John 1:14
Theme: The Tabernacling of God
From this week’s Christmas study, we look carefully at the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and how it fulfills the Old Testament tabernacle.
Scripture: John 1:14
Theme: Jesus and the Law
From this week’s Christmas study, we look carefully at the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and how it fulfills the Old Testament tabernacle.
Scripture: John 1:14
Theme: Revelation and Sacrifice
From this week’s Christmas study, we look carefully at the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and how it fulfills the Old Testament tabernacle.
Scripture: John 1:14
There are psalms of David in every book of the Psalter, but we have come near the end of the Psalter’s third book and have not had a psalm of David, until now. And characteristic of David, it is an appeal for mercy based on the character of God.
What are David’s requests? There are a lot of them, fifteen in all, as I said yesterday. He asks God to “hear” and “answer” (v. 1), “guard” and “save” (v. 2), “have mercy” (v. 3), “bring joy” (v. 4), “hear” and “listen” (v. 6), “teach me” and “give me an undivided heart” (v. 11), “turn,” “have mercy,” “grant…strength” and “save” (v. 16), and “give me a sign of your goodness” (v. 17).
David’s prayer incorporated arguments why God should answer him. Yesterday we looked at arguments based on David and David’s need. Today we examine four reasons based on God and God’s character.
When Moses began to pray, his first request was that he might know God. He had been with God on the mountain twice for forty days at a time, but he still yearned to know God better: “If I have found favor in your eyes, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you” (Exod. 33:13). This is a petition every Christian should make often.
The mercy of God is such a tremendous and all-embracing theme that it applies to virtually every area of life. There are four applications that we cannot afford to miss.
Theme: Citizens of Zion
In this week’s lessons we look at the nature of the church, which is itself a picture of the eternal City of Zion, of which every Christian is a citizen.
Scripture: Psalm 87:1-7
Theme: The Church on Earth and the Church in Heaven
In this week’s lessons we look at the nature of the church, which is itself a picture of the eternal City of Zion, of which every Christian is a citizen.
Scripture: Psalm 87:1-7
Theme: True Spiritual Brotherhood
In this week’s lessons we look at the nature of the church, which is itself a picture of the eternal City of Zion, of which every Christian is a citizen.
Scripture: Psalm 87:1-7
Theme: Born in Zion
In this week’s lessons we look at the nature of the church, which is itself a picture of the eternal City of Zion, of which every Christian is a citizen.
Scripture: Psalm 87:1-7
Two things are said of those who will be brought to the worship of God in the days the psalmist envisions.
Theme: Fountains of Blessing
In this week’s lessons we look at the nature of the church, which is itself a picture of the eternal City of Zion, of which every Christian is a citizen.
Scripture: Psalm 87:1-7
Theme: A Psalm for the Hopeless
From this psalm, we see that life does not always have happy endings. Nevertheless, we can trust God in the midst of great sorrow and suffering because of what he tells us about himself in his Word, and that he promises to work in the lives of those whom he loves.
Scripture: Psalm 88:1-18
Theme: A Prayer to the God Who Saves
From this psalm, we see that life does not always have happy endings. Nevertheless, we can trust God in the midst of great sorrow and suffering because of what he tells us about himself in his Word, and that he promises to work in the lives of those whom he loves.
Scripture: Psalm 88:1-18
Theme: Darkness All Around
From this psalm, we see that life does not always have happy endings. Nevertheless, we can trust God in the midst of great sorrow and suffering because of what he tells us about himself in his Word, and that he promises to work in the lives of those whom he loves.
Scripture: Psalm 88:1-18
Theme: When the Light Is Fading
From this psalm, we see that life does not always have happy endings. Nevertheless, we can trust God in the midst of great sorrow and suffering because of what he tells us about himself in his Word, and that he promises to work in the lives of those whom he loves.
Scripture: Psalm 88:1-18
Theme: Trusting to the End
From this psalm, we see that life does not always have happy endings. Nevertheless, we can trust God in the midst of great sorrow and suffering because of what he tells us about himself in his Word, and that he promises to work in the lives of those whom he loves.
Scripture: Psalm 88:1-18
Theme: Recounting an Old Testament Story
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness, promised in his Word and demonstrated in our own experience of his covenant love.
Scripture: Psalm 89:1-37
Theme: Mercies Forever
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness, promised in his Word and demonstrated in our own experience of his covenant love.
Scripture: Psalm 89:1-37
Theme: God’s Power in Creation and History
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness, promised in his Word and demonstrated in our own experience of his covenant love.
Scripture: Psalm 89:1-37
Theme: Responding to God’s Attributes
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness, promised in his Word and demonstrated in our own experience of his covenant love.
Scripture: Psalm 89:1-37
Theme: God’s Faithfulness Seen in Discipline
This week’s lessons teach us about God’s faithfulness, promised in his Word and demonstrated in our own experience of his covenant love.
Scripture: Psalm 89:1-37
Verses 19-29 are essentially a commentary on 2 Samuel 7. This stanza highlights six critical features of God’s covenant with David, three of which we looked at yesterday, and the remaining three of which we take up today.
Theme: God Does All Things Well
In this week’s lessons we learn that although at times it can seem as if there is a gap between God’s promises and reality, God is unchanging in his faithfulness.
Scripture: Psalm 89:38-52
Theme: “How Long, O LORD?”
In this week’s lessons we learn that although at times it can seem as if there is a gap between God’s promises and reality, God is unchanging in his faithfulness.
Scripture: Psalm 89:38-52
Theme: The God Who Changes Not
In this week’s lessons we learn that although at times it can seem as if there is a gap between God’s promises and reality, God is unchanging in his faithfulness.
Scripture: Psalm 89:38-52
Theme: Our Only Comfort in Life and in Death
In this week’s lessons we learn that although at times it can seem as if there is a gap between God’s promises and reality, God is unchanging in his faithfulness.
Scripture: Psalm 89:38-52
Today we continue our discussion of six ways in which God does not change, as outlined in J. I. Packer’s book, Knowing God.
4. God’s ways do not change. As Packer writes
Theme: A Serious and Personal Psalm
This week’s psalm shows us how to look at our earthly life from the Bible’s point of view, with God as the center and focus of it.
Scripture: Psalm 90:1-17
Theme: Our Only Sure Foundation
This week’s psalm shows us how to look at our earthly life from the Bible’s point of view, with God as the center and focus of it.
Scripture: Psalm 90:1-17
Yesterday we looked at the first circumstance arising from Numbers 20, that of the death of Miriam. Today we continue with two others.
Theme: The Brevity of Life
This week’s psalm shows us how to look at our earthly life from the Bible’s point of view, with God as the center and focus of it.
Scripture: Psalm 90:1-17
Theme: Sin’s Price
This week’s psalm shows us how to look at our earthly life from the Bible’s point of view, with God as the center and focus of it.
Scripture: Psalm 90:1-17
Theme: Three Petitions
This week’s psalm shows us how to look at our earthly life from the Bible’s point of view, with God as the center and focus of it.
Scripture: Psalm 90:1-17
Backing up to verse 12, we find three petitions in this closing section of the psalm.
Theme: Dwelling in the Shelter of the Most High
In this week’s lessons, we learn what it means to trust fully in God, and what the blessings are for those who do.
Scripture: Psalm 91:1-16
Theme: Trusting God in All Circumstances
In this week’s lessons, we learn what it means to trust fully in God, and what the blessings are for those who do.
Scripture: Psalm 91:1-16
Theme: Two Appealing Images
In this week’s lessons, we learn what it means to trust fully in God, and what the blessings are for those who do.
Scripture: Psalm 91:1-16
Theme: The Believer’s Responsibility
In this week’s lessons, we learn what it means to trust fully in God, and what the blessings are for those who do.
Scripture: Psalm 91:1-16
Much of what is found in the third stanza of this psalm (vv. 9-11) is like what we have seen already. It tells us that “no harm will befall” us, and that “no disaster will come near your tent” (v. 10). But there are a few new elements.
Theme: A Confirming Oracle
In this week’s lessons, we learn what it means to trust fully in God, and what the blessings are for those who do.
Scripture: Psalm 91:1-16
Theme: Our Praise and Delight
From this week’s lessons, we see the need for the righteous to praise God continually.
Scripture: Psalm 92:1-15
Theme: The Goodness of Praise
From this week’s lessons, we see the need for the righteous to praise God continually.
Scripture: Psalm 92:1-15
Theme: Why Should We Praise God?
From this week’s lessons, we see the need for the righteous to praise God continually.
Scripture: Psalm 92:1-15
Theme: Those Who Do Not Praise God
From this week’s lessons, we see the need for the righteous to praise God continually.
Scripture: Psalm 92:1-15
Having said a great deal about the value, reasons for and methods of worshiping God, the psalm next introduces a contrast with the case of those who, unlike the psalmist, do not know or praise God (vv. 5-9). I call this the silence of the senseless, because that is what the writer himself calls them in verse 6. There are two things wrong with them.
Theme: Three Important Statements
From this week’s lessons, we see the need for the righteous to praise God continually.
Scripture: Psalm 92:1-15
In Psalm 92, the psalmist states three things about those who truly know and worship God.
Theme: God’s Rule
In this week’s lessons we see what it means for God to reign over all.
Scripture: Psalm 93:1-5
Psalm 93 is the first of a group of eight psalms dealing with the kingly reign of God, that is, with a theocracy. So let me begin our study with two questions about the word “theocracy.” First, where does the word come from, and who was the first person in history to use the term? Second, what does “theocracy” mean?
Theme: God’s Majesty and Power
In this week’s lessons we see what it means for God to reign over all.
Scripture: Psalm 93:1-5
The first two verses of the psalm speak of the nature of God’s reign, introducing four characteristics of God’s kingly rule which are at the same time four important attributes of God. These are stated in strong poetic language, involving blatant repetitions in nearly every case, a particularly bold form of Hebrew parallelism.
Theme: His Immutability and Eternity
In this week’s lessons we see what it means for God to reign over all.
Scripture: Psalm 93:1-5
As we saw in yesterday’s study, the first two verses of the psalm speak of the nature of God’s reign. We began our look at four characteristics of God’s kingly rule with the majesty of God and the power of God. In today’s study we look at two more characteristics of God.
Theme: King of Nature and History
In this week’s lessons we see what it means for God to reign over all.
Scripture: Psalm 93:1-5
Theme: When God’s Faithfulness Seems Hidden
In this week’s lessons we learn that although at times it can seem as if there is a gap between God’s promises and reality, God is unchanging in his faithfulness.
Scripture: Psalm 89:38-52
Theme: God’s Word and Holiness
In this week’s lessons we see what it means for God to reign over all.
Scripture: Psalm 93:1-5
Theme: A Call for Justice
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that in his time the Lord will both punish the wicked and vindicate the righteous.
Scripture: Psalm 94:1-23
Theme: God’s Vengeance
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that in his time the Lord will both punish the wicked and vindicate the righteous.
Scripture: Psalm 94:1-23
The problem some people will have with these verses from Psalm 94 is that they use the word “vengeance,” and they do not like this word.
Theme: The Omniscient One
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that in his time the Lord will both punish the wicked and vindicate the righteous.
Scripture: Psalm 94:1-23
Theme: The Life-Sustaining Word
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that in his time the Lord will both punish the wicked and vindicate the righteous.
Scripture: Psalm 94:1-23
Four things are promised to God’s people in verses 12-15. Yesterday we looked at the first promise, relief from days of trouble. Today we examine three more.
Theme: Living by Faith
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that in his time the Lord will both punish the wicked and vindicate the righteous.
Scripture: Psalm 94:1-23
The last stanza of Psalm 94 gets back to where it started, with God as the Judge of all the earth (vv. 20-23). The corrupt judgment thrones of this earth cannot be allied with the upright throne of heaven. Thus, the psalmist looks for the day when the Judge of the earth will rise to destroy the wicked for their sins against the righteous.
Theme: Rediscovering Worship
In this week’s lessons, we learn how and why to worship God, and also see the need to respond rightly to the gospel while there is still time.
Scripture: Psalm 95:1-11
Theme: Forms of Worship
In this week’s lessons, we learn how and why to worship God, and also see the need to respond rightly to the gospel while there is still time.
Scripture: Psalm 95:1-11
Psalm 95 suggests some of the forms of worship we can enjoy.
Theme: Why We Should Worship God
In this week’s lessons, we learn how and why to worship God, and also see the need to respond rightly to the gospel while there is still time.
Scripture: Psalm 95:1-11
We have seen a few ways in which we can worship God. Let’s ask why we should worship him. The next stanzas give two important reasons.
Theme: An Unexpected Warning
In this week’s lessons, we learn how and why to worship God, and also see the need to respond rightly to the gospel while there is still time.
Scripture: Psalm 95:1-11
Theme: “Today, if you hear his voice…”
In this week’s lessons, we learn how and why to worship God, and also see the need to respond rightly to the gospel while there is still time.
Scripture: Psalm 95:1-11
Theme: A Model Psalm of Praise
In this week’s lessons, we learn how to worship God, who is the one true God who rules over all, both now and forever.
Scripture: Psalm 96:1-13
Theme: A New Song
In this week’s lessons, we learn how to worship God, who is the one true God who rules over all, both now and forever.
Scripture: Psalm 96:1-13
As we saw yesterday, Psalm 96 provides a model of how we can praise God. There are two things to notice especially.
Theme: No Other Gods
In this week’s lessons, we learn how to worship God, who is the one true God who rules over all, both now and forever.
Scripture: Psalm 96:1-13
Theme: Giving God Glory
In this week’s lessons, we learn how to worship God, who is the one true God who rules over all, both now and forever.
Scripture: Psalm 96:1-13
Derek Kidner calls the third stanza of this four-part poem “The King’s Due,” which is a good description since it is about the glory due God for his greatness (vv. 7-9).
Theme: God’s Present and Future Reign
In this week’s lessons, we learn how to worship God, who is the one true God who rules over all, both now and forever.
Scripture: Psalm 96:1-13
There are two ways in which this stanza speaks of God’s reign.
Theme: The Comfort of God’s Sovereignty
From this psalm, we are reminded that because God is sovereign and righteous, we are to hate sin and rejoice in him.
Scripture: Psalm 97:1-12
Theme: When God Manifests Himself
From this psalm, we are reminded that because God is sovereign and righteous, we are to hate sin and rejoice in him.
Scripture: Psalm 97:1-12
Theme: Worship the Lord Only
From this psalm, we are reminded that because God is sovereign and righteous, we are to hate sin and rejoice in him.
Scripture: Psalm 97:1-12
Theme: God’s Righteous Judgment
From this psalm, we are reminded that because God is sovereign and righteous, we are to hate sin and rejoice in him.
Scripture: Psalm 97:1-12
Theme: Loving God and Hating Sin
From this psalm, we are reminded that because God is sovereign and righteous, we are to hate sin and rejoice in him.
Scripture: Psalm 97:1-12
Theme: The Expansion of Worship
In this week’s lessons, we see that all creation is called upon to praise the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 98:1-9
There is a well-known and frequently quoted passage in Ecclesiastes that declares, “There is a time for everything,…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Eccles. 3:1, 4).
Theme: Our Need for Deliverance
In this week’s lessons, we see that all creation is called upon to praise the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 98:1-9
Each of the three stanzas of this psalm calls on one part of creation to praise God, and in the first stanza this is Israel (vv. 1-3). This is because, “He [God] has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel” (v. 3).
Theme: A Great Victory!
In this week’s lessons, we see that all creation is called upon to praise the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 98:1-9
As we read yesterday, the New Testament reveals three kinds of deliverance. We have already looked at the first kind, deliverance from sin.
Theme: Praise to God the King
In this week’s lessons, we see that all creation is called upon to praise the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 98:1-9
Theme: When All Creation Will Praise
In this week’s lessons, we see that all creation is called upon to praise the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 98:1-9
Theme: The Holy, Holy, Holy Psalm
In this week’s lessons, we learn of God’s holiness, and of what our response ought to be in light of it.
Scripture: Psalm 99:1-9
Theme: The Lord on His Throne
In this week’s lessons, we learn of God’s holiness, and of what our response ought to be in light of it.
Scripture: Psalm 99:1-9
Theme: Four Contributing Elements
In this week’s lessons, we learn of God’s holiness, and of what our response ought to be in light of it.
Scripture: Psalm 99:1-9
As we saw in yesterday’s study, holiness is the characteristic of God that sets him apart from his creation. It has at least four contributing elements:
Theme: Worshiping at His Footstool
In this week’s lessons, we learn of God’s holiness, and of what our response ought to be in light of it.
Scripture: Psalm 99:1-9
Theme: Three Important Consequences
In this week’s lessons, we learn of God’s holiness, and of what our response ought to be in light of it.
Scripture: Psalm 99:1-9
The final section of this three-part psalm (the last two stanzas in the New International Version) breaks away from heaven to speak of three past leaders of Israel—Moses, Aaron and Samuel, and of the wilderness experience of the people, when God “spoke to them from the pillar of cloud” (vv. 6, 7).
Theme: “Old Hundredth”
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the many reasons for which to thank God.
Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5
It is a striking fact about the one hundredth psalm that it is the only one in the Psalter explicitly identified as “a psalm for giving thanks.” The words occur in the heading with which the psalm starts.
Theme: Three Things We Can Do
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the many reasons for which to thank God.
Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5
Theme: Knowing God
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the many reasons for which to thank God.
Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5
Theme: “We Are His People”
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the many reasons for which to thank God.
Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5
A point we need to notice about verse 3 is the implication of the words “he…made us.” If it is really God who has made us, not ourselves, and if we are his because he made us, then we are his to do with as seems best to him.
Theme: God’s Goodness, Love, and Faithfulness
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the many reasons for which to thank God.
Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5
Theme: A Psalm of David
From this week’s lessons, we learn what virtues to practice and vices to reject in order to be the kind of godly leaders and servants God has called us to be.
Scripture: Psalm 101:1-8
It has been some time since we have come across a psalm attributed to David. The last one was Psalm 86, and this is the first in book four of the Psalter, though there is also one yet to come (Psalm 103).
Theme: The Need for Love and Justice
From this week’s lessons, we learn what virtues to practice and vices to reject in order to be the kind of godly leaders and servants God has called us to be.
Scripture: Psalm 101:1-8
Theme: The Importance of Moral Character
From this week’s lessons, we learn what virtues to practice and vices to reject in order to be the kind of godly leaders and servants God has called us to be.
Scripture: Psalm 101:1-8
Theme: Vices to Be Rejected
From this week’s lessons, we learn what virtues to practice and vices to reject in order to be the kind of godly leaders and servants God has called us to be.
Scripture: Psalm 101:1-8
As we saw yesterday, David, having affirmed the positive virtues in this psalm, also rejects the negatives. We have already looked at two vices suggested by these stanzas—faithless men and men of perverse heart—and continue with two more.
Theme: Looking to Jesus
From this week’s lessons, we learn what virtues to practice and vices to reject in order to be the kind of godly leaders and servants God has called us to be.
Scripture: Psalm 101:1-8
Theme: Fervent Prayer in Great Need
In this week’s lessons, we learn how great suffering should turn us toward God, and then cause our prayers to also include God’s work in the lives of others.
Scripture: Psalm 102:1-28
One of the splendid delusions of the young is that they think they are immortal. No matter how recklessly they drive, no matter how many drugs they take or physical dangers they expose themselves to, they do not believe that anything bad can happen to them.
Theme: When Troubles Abound
In this week’s lessons, we learn how great suffering should turn us toward God, and then cause our prayers to also include God’s work in the lives of others.
Scripture: Psalm 102:1-28
Theme: Resting in God’s Sovereignty
In this week’s lessons, we learn how great suffering should turn us toward God, and then cause our prayers to also include God’s work in the lives of others.
Scripture: Psalm 102:1-28
Theme: Praying for Others
In this week’s lessons, we learn how great suffering should turn us toward God, and then cause our prayers to also include God’s work in the lives of others.
Scripture: Psalm 102:1-28
Theme: Anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ
In this week’s lessons, we learn how great suffering should turn us toward God, and then cause our prayers to also include God’s work in the lives of others.
Scripture: Psalm 102:1-28
Today we continue our look at four separate things for which the psalmist prays.
Theme: God’s Pleasure in His Creation
In this week’s lessons, we see that not only does creation rejoice in God its Creator, but also God himself takes joy in what he has made.
Scripture: Psalm 104:1-35
Psalm 104 is a splendid praise psalm, one of the finest in the Psalter. The first part (vv. 1-30) follows the account of creation in Genesis 1 in a general way and shows how the entire cosmos rejoices in its good God. The second, surprising part (vv. 31-35) shows God rejoicing in his creation.
Theme: God’s Design in Creation
In this week’s lessons, we see that not only does creation rejoice in God its Creator, but also God himself takes joy in what he has made.
Scripture: Psalm 104:1-35
Theme: The God Who Sustains and Provides
In this week’s lessons, we see that not only does creation rejoice in God its Creator, but also God himself takes joy in what he has made.
Scripture: Psalm 104:1-35
Theme: Creation’s Joy in God
In this week’s lessons, we see that not only does creation rejoice in God its Creator, but also God himself takes joy in what he has made.
Scripture: Psalm 104:1-35
Theme: The Psalm’s Surprise
In this week’s lessons, we see that not only does creation rejoice in God its Creator, but also God himself takes joy in what he has made.
Scripture: Psalm 104:1-35
At the very end of the psalm we come to what I referred to once before this week as its “surprising” second part. Here God is said to rejoice in his creation, just as the creation has already been said to rejoice in God.
Theme: Remembering What God Has Done
This week’s lessons focus on the faithfulness of God, and call us to remember his many mercies toward us and to praise him for them.
Scripture: Psalm 105:1-45
Theme: God’s Covenant with Abraham
This week’s lessons focus on the faithfulness of God, and call us to remember his many mercies toward us and to praise him for them.
Scripture: Psalm 105:1-45
Theme: Seeing God’s Sovereignty
This week’s lessons focus on the faithfulness of God, and call us to remember his many mercies toward us and to praise him for them.
Scripture: Psalm 105:1-45
Theme: The Meaning of the Plagues
This week’s lessons focus on the faithfulness of God, and call us to remember his many mercies toward us and to praise him for them.
Scripture: Psalm 105:1-45
Theme: “Be Holy, Because I Am Holy”
This week’s lessons focus on the faithfulness of God, and call us to remember his many mercies toward us and to praise him for them.
Scripture: Psalm 105:1-45
Theme: The Faithfulness of the Good God
In this week’s lessons we see that even when we sin, the Lord remains the God who acts not only in judgment, but also in faithfulness and compassion.
Scripture: Psalm 106:1-48
Theme: The Need to Confess Our Sin
In this week’s lessons we see that even when we sin, the Lord remains the God who acts not only in judgment, but also in faithfulness and compassion.
Scripture: Psalm 106:1-48
Theme: Discontent, Jealousy, and Idolatry
In this week’s lessons we see that even when we sin, the Lord remains the God who acts not only in judgment, but also in faithfulness and compassion.
Scripture: Psalm 106:1-48
Theme: Three More Sins of Rebellion
In this week’s lessons we see that even when we sin, the Lord remains the God who acts not only in judgment, but also in faithfulness and compassion.
Scripture: Psalm 106:1-48
Theme: God’s Judgment, Compassion, and Deliverance
In this week’s lessons we see that even when we sin, the Lord remains the God who acts not only in judgment, but also in faithfulness and compassion.
Scripture: Psalm 106:1-48
Theme: Peril, Deliverance, and Praise
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:1-32
Theme: Homeless Wandering
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:1-32
Charles Spurgeon wrote that the theme of the psalm is “thanksgiving and the motives for it.”1 That is well said, for thanksgiving is the note struck in the opening verses (vv. 1-3) as well as in the refrain of verses 8-9, 15-16, 21-22 and 31-32.
Theme: Imprisonment
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:1-32
Theme: Deliverance from Physical and Spiritual Sickness
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:1-32
Theme: Living Sacrifices
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:1-32
Theme: An Example from History
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:33-43
Theme: A Pattern of Hard Times and Blessing
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:33-43
Theme: The Importance of the Book of Joshua
This week’s lessons show why Joshua should be studied today, and what things God considers necessary for godly leadership.
SCRIPTURE
Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead.
Theme: All in God’s Hands
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:33-43
Theme: Reverence and an Eternal Perspective
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:33-43
Even for the righteous, God sends sorrow as well as joy, hardship as well as material blessing. Today we begin our look at four uses of this doctrine.
Theme: The Need for Repentance and Thanksgiving
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to trust the Lord for his deliverance from our struggles, and to praise him for his goodness and mercy.
Scripture: Psalm 107:33-43
Today we conclude our look at the four purposes of the doctrine that even for the righteous, God sends sorrow as well as joy, and hardship as well as material blessing.
Theme: A Psalm of Praise and Hope
This week’s lessons show us that because God is faithful, we are to praise him and live in confident hope.
Scripture: Psalm 108:1-13
Theme: Having a Steadfast Heart
This week’s lessons show us that because God is faithful, we are to praise him and live in confident hope.
Scripture: Psalm 108:1-13
Theme: Confidence in God’s Word
This week’s lessons show us that because God is faithful, we are to praise him and live in confident hope.
Scripture: Psalm 108:1-13
The second section of the psalm contains a prayer to God to save, help and deliver those who have been attacked, probably by the Edomites (v. 6), followed by God’s answer in the form of an oracle (vv. 7-9). The oracle follows so closely upon the appeal that we know that faith has already won a victory, just as in Psalm 60 from which these words are taken.
Theme: Praying for Victory
This week’s lessons show us that because God is faithful, we are to praise him and live in confident hope.
Scripture: Psalm 108:1-13
Theme: Jesus, Mighty to Save
This week’s lessons show us that because God is faithful, we are to praise him and live in confident hope.
Scripture: Psalm 108:1-13
How can we take this psalm from its ancient setting and carry its value forward into our own time and beyond? We have already considered that this is a psalm that can provide strength for our conflicts. Today we look at another way.
Theme: The Last Imprecatory Psalm
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that God will act justly and punish evildoers for their wrongs against the Lord and his people.
Scripture: Psalm 109:1-31
Psalm 109 is the last of the imprecatory psalms.1 Imprecation has to do with praying for or calling down curses on one’s enemies, which followers of Christ are not supposed to do. So for that reason the imprecatory psalms are among the most troubling parts of Scripture for Christians and Christian sensibilities.
Theme: Praying When We Are Slandered
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that God will act justly and punish evildoers for their wrongs against the Lord and his people.
Scripture: Psalm 109:1-31
Theme: Appealing to God for Justice
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that God will act justly and punish evildoers for their wrongs against the Lord and his people.
Scripture: Psalm 109:1-31
Theme: Three Grounds for David’s Appeal
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that God will act justly and punish evildoers for their wrongs against the Lord and his people.
Scripture: Psalm 109:1-31
Today we continue our look at the curses of David, which are being spoken against one or more of his foes. Recall that in yesterday’s study we looked at satan, the accuser’s accuser.
Theme: Praising God for His Deliverance
In this week’s lessons we are reminded that God will act justly and punish evildoers for their wrongs against the Lord and his people.
Scripture: Psalm 109:1-31
The last two verses (vv. 30, 31) are a powerful and effective ending to this admittedly difficult psalm. They anticipate the deliverance David has been asking for and promise that David will use his mouth to praise God for his deliverance. His accusers use their mouths to accuse and curse him. He will use his to extol and bless God.
Theme: The Greatest of the Messianic Psalms
This week’s lessons teach us about the most quoted psalm in the New Testament.
Scripture: Psalm 110:1-3
Near the end of Christ’s earthly ministry, not long before his arrest and crucifixion, there was a time when the leaders of Israel were trying to trap Jesus with trick questions and he turned the tables on them by asking a question that was beyond their ability to answer. “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” Jesus queried.
Theme: The Identity of David’s Lord
This week’s lessons teach us about the most quoted psalm in the New Testament.
Scripture: Psalm 110:1-3
Theme: At God’s Right Hand
This week’s lessons teach us about the most quoted psalm in the New Testament.
Scripture: Psalm 110:1-3
Theme: Ruling in the Midst of Enemies
This week’s lessons teach us about the most quoted psalm in the New Testament.
Scripture: Psalm 110:1-3
Theme: Willing Sacrifices
This week’s lessons teach us about the most quoted psalm in the New Testament.
Scripture: Psalm 110:1-3
Theme: Who Is Melchizedek?
In this week’s lessons we learn how Psalm 110 and the book of Hebrews points us to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who brings a new and better covenant.
Scripture: Psalm 110:4-7
Theme: Both King and Priest
In this week’s lessons we learn how Psalm 110 and the book of Hebrews points us to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who brings a new and better covenant.
Scripture: Psalm 110:4-7
In today’s study we continue our discussion of who Melchizedek is and why he is so important. John Calvin described Melchizedek simply but respectfully as a man who, although we know nothing else about him, “alone in that land was an upright and sincere cultivator and guardian of religion.”1
Theme: God’s Eternal Oath
In this week’s lessons we learn how Psalm 110 and the book of Hebrews points us to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who brings a new and better covenant.
Scripture: Psalm 110:4-7
Theme: A Better Covenant
In this week’s lessons we learn how Psalm 110 and the book of Hebrews points us to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who brings a new and better covenant.
Scripture: Psalm 110:4-7
Hebrews presents an inspired exposition of each of three ideas about Melchizedek in this verse: with an oath, forever, and the order of Melchizedek, which we look at in today’s study.
Theme: The Need to Trust in Jesus
In this week’s lessons we learn how Psalm 110 and the book of Hebrews points us to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who brings a new and better covenant.
Scripture: Psalm 110:4-7
Theme: Praising God for His Goodness
In this week’s lessons, we see that God’s goodness is shown by his works, and that true wisdom comes from knowing and fearing him.
Scripture: Psalm 111:1-10
Theme: Three Important Statements
In this week’s lessons, we see that God’s goodness is shown by his works, and that true wisdom comes from knowing and fearing him.
Scripture: Psalm 111:1-10
Theme: Reasons to Praise God
In this week’s lessons, we see that God’s goodness is shown by his works, and that true wisdom comes from knowing and fearing him.
Scripture: Psalm 111:1-10
There is wonder in the heavens, in the multitude and majesty of stars, in the mysteries of the quasars and black holes, in the distribution and composition of the planets. There is wonder in the microcosm, in quarks and neutrinos, in the cells of the body, in the mind and in matter. There is a mystery to all living things.
Theme: God’s Saving Work of Redemption
In this week’s lessons, we see that God’s goodness is shown by his works, and that true wisdom comes from knowing and fearing him.
Scripture: Psalm 111:1-10
Theme: Knowing and Fearing the Lord
In this week’s lessons, we see that God’s goodness is shown by his works, and that true wisdom comes from knowing and fearing him.
Scripture: Psalm 111:1-10
Theme: The Character of God Reflected
In this week’s lessons, we learn what the godly person is like, and what the blessings are that come to those who fear the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 112:1-10
The last verse of Psalm 111 is the theme for Psalm 112. Or to put it another way, Psalm 112 picks up where Psalm 111 left off. Psalm 111 ended with that classic description of true, godly wisdom found several places in the wisdom literature (see Job 28:28; Prov. 1:7, 9:10; Eccles. 12:13):
Theme: What Godliness Looks Like
In this week’s lessons, we learn what the godly person is like, and what the blessings are that come to those who fear the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 112:1-10
Who is the godly man who will be blessed? His godliness consists of three things.1
Theme: Outward and Inward Blessings
In this week’s lessons, we learn what the godly person is like, and what the blessings are that come to those who fear the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 112:1-10
Theme: Three Other Blessings
In this week’s lessons, we learn what the godly person is like, and what the blessings are that come to those who fear the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 112:1-10
As we noted in yesterday’s study, the middle and chief section of this psalm (vv. 2-9) describes the specific blessings of the person who fears and joyfully obeys God. We have already looked at the blessing on the children of the upright, and riches with righteousness. Today we continue with three more of God’s blessings on the godly.
Theme: Two Ways of Life
In this week’s lessons, we learn what the godly person is like, and what the blessings are that come to those who fear the Lord.
Scripture: Psalm 112:1-10
In the past two days’ studies, we have looked at five blessings of the person who fears and joyfully obeys God. Today we conclude this list with a sixth blessing.
Theme: A Priesthood and Nation
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the Lord’s abiding presence with his people, even in the midst of great trials and hardships.
Scripture: Psalm 114:1-8
Who is like God? What is God like? Have you ever asked yourself that question? It is a good question. The trouble is that it is unanswerable, because there is nothing God can be compared to. He is in a category of his own, unique.
Our starting point is to notice that this is a strong praise psalm. In fact, it is a superb example of what our praise of God should be. The psalm begins and ends with the words “Praise the LORD,” and the first of its three stanzas repeatedly calls on all the servants of God to extol God, which is what the remainder of the psalm (stanzas two and three) does.
As we noted in yesterday’s study, the only place in the Bible where YHWH is explained is Exodus 3:14. Though derived from the most basic of all verbs and expressed in the simplest verbal form, YHWH expresses a wealth of God’s attributes. We have already noted that 1) God is a person; and 2) God is self-existent. Today we continue with three more attributes of God.
Having called upon the “servants of the LORD” to praise him “from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,” the psalm next turns to the praise of God directly, extolling him as the one who is “exalted over all the nations” and whose “glory [is] above the heavens” (v. 4).
That brings us to the last stanza of Psalm 113. What it tells us is that God stoops down in order that he might lift the downtrodden up. And more! He lifts them to be as he is. Do you see the parallel between these two stanzas? God is exalted over the nations, so he exalts the poor, raising him from the dust. God is enthroned on high, so he raises the poor to sit with princes.
Theme: God’s Sanctuary and Dominion
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the Lord’s abiding presence with his people, even in the midst of great trials and hardships.
Scripture: Psalm 114:1-8
Theme: When Nature Moves before God
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the Lord’s abiding presence with his people, even in the midst of great trials and hardships.
Scripture: Psalm 114:1-8
What could possibly have caused such disturbances in the natural course of nature—the sea to part, the river to reverse its flow, the majestic peaks of Sinai to tremble? This is what the third stanza of the psalm asks rhetorically:
Theme: Great Forces against Us
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the Lord’s abiding presence with his people, even in the midst of great trials and hardships.
Scripture: Psalm 114:1-8
Theme: Still Nothing Can Separate
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the Lord’s abiding presence with his people, even in the midst of great trials and hardships.
Scripture: Psalm 114:1-8
Theme: Psalm 115 in History
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to trust God in all things, and of what he will do for us as we look to him in faith.
Scripture: Psalm 115:1-18
Theme: The Futility of Idols
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to trust God in all things, and of what he will do for us as we look to him in faith.
Scripture: Psalm 115:1-18
Theme: Trusting God
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to trust God in all things, and of what he will do for us as we look to him in faith.
Scripture: Psalm 115:1-18
As we concluded in yesterday’s study, any representation of God by anything material merely debases God and misleads the worshiper. This is why the second commandment is so strong. It says,
Theme: How God Blesses
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to trust God in all things, and of what he will do for us as we look to him in faith.
Scripture: Psalm 115:1-18
Theme: Our Response
This week’s lessons remind us of the need to trust God in all things, and of what he will do for us as we look to him in faith.
Scripture: Psalm 115:1-18
Theme: A Psalm of Prayer, Deliverance, and Thanksgiving
In this week’s lessons, we see how we are to approach God when we are in need, and what our response ought to be to his help.
Scripture: Psalm 116:1-19
Theme: The Unchanging God
In this week’s lessons, we see how we are to approach God when we are in need, and what our response ought to be to his help.
Scripture: Psalm 116:1-19
In general, the first eleven (or nine) verses of the psalm tell what God did for the psalmist: God delivered him from the threshold of the grave. He speaks of this in a number of verses:
The cords of death entangled me,the anguish of the grave came upon me;I was overcome by trouble and sorrow (v. 3).
Theme: God’s Faithfulness in Life and in Death
In this week’s lessons, we see how we are to approach God when we are in need, and what our response ought to be to his help.
Scripture: Psalm 116:1-19
Theme: Responding to God’s Goodness
In this week’s lessons, we see how we are to approach God when we are in need, and what our response ought to be to his help.
Scripture: Psalm 116:1-19
Theme: Calling Everyone to Praise God
In this week’s lessons, we are reminded of the need to praise the Lord for his enduring love and faithfulness toward us.
Scripture: Psalm 117:1, 2
This is the shortest psalm in the Psalter, but, as Derek Kidner notes, its faith is “great” and “its reach is enormous.”1
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