We may not think of Psalms as a book of the Bible about discipleship, but in reality, it is one of the most instructive books in the Bible to help us follow Jesus in all areas of life, which is the essence of being a disciple.
Dallas Willard described discipleship in this way:
We need to be clear in our heads about what discipleship is. My definition:
A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in their life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do. A disciple is not a person who has things under control or knows a lot of things. Disciples simply are people who are constantly revising their affairs to carry through on their decision to follow Jesus. http://www.dwillard.org/articles/individual/rethinking-evangelism
The key part of his definition that applies to our lesson is: “people who are constantly revising their affairs to carry through on their decision to follow Jesus. “
Psalms will help us see what that means as they show us how God’s people interact with Him in many areas of life—all areas of life—including those we don’t think God cares about.
In this lesson, we’ll look at Psalms of Praise, Salvation History, Lament, and Imprecatory Psalms (these are the hard ones that call down judgment and curses on enemies). I’ll give examples of these specific types and THEN application suggestions and what we can learn from that Psalm for our walk with God and growth as Jesus’ disciples.
Following is the podcast and then the video of this lesson and below them the Notes/Transcript
How can we walk with Jesus in every part of life?
• We may not think of Psalms as a book of the Bible about discipleship,
• But in reality, it is one of the most instructive books in the Bible to help us follow Jesus in all areas of life,
• You’ll see how Psalms will help us make discipleship practical in our lesson today entitled. . . .
Psalms, How to walk with Jesus in every part of life
Yvon Prehn, Bible805
In our plan of Reading the Bible in Chronological Order, this is why we will be reading a Psalm every other day
• We’re doing this not only because the individual Psalms aren’t chronological in the same way that historical and prophetic books are, but if you allow the content of them to permeate your life, they will help you grow tremendously as a disciple of Jesus.
• Here is Dallas Willard’s description of what a disciple is:
• We need to be clear in our heads about what discipleship is. My definition:
A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in their life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do. A disciple is not a person who has things under control or knows a lot of things. Disciples simply are people who are constantly revising their affairs to carry through on their decision to follow Jesus. http://www.dwillard.org/articles/individual/rethinking-evangelism
• The key part: “people who are constantly revising their affairs to carry through on their decision to follow Jesus. “
• Psalms will help us see what that means as they show us how God’s people interact with Him in many areas of life—all areas of life—including those we don’t think God cares about.
A little background on them, before we get into the content
• Out of 150 Psalms, David wrote the most (73), Moses 1, 1 or 2 by Solomon, 1 by Heman, 1 by Ethan, 12 by Asaph, 10 by descendants of Korah, many others we don’t know for certain, though there is evidence for some, such as that Ezra may have written Psalm 119.
• Time span, throughout all of the written history of the Bible.
• Earliest one is from Moses (Ps.90) 1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
• Most likely one of the last is: Ps. 137 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion. NIV, which by its content implies that it was written after the Babylonian captivity.
• Most written and used in Temple worship in the time of the Israelite Kingdom, specifically when united under David, continuing with Temple worship in Judah after Israel split in 2 and continuing through their use in both Jewish and Christian churches today.
How did they come together?
• Most likely an early collection was put together by David, later refined by others.
• We see in Chronicles especially that the later part of David’s life was spent in making detailed preparations for the temple and a large part of that were assignments and detailed instructions on the music, the singers and instruments.
• Compiling Psalms would have been part of that.
• Note: his sin with Bathsheba happened when he was late 40’s early 50s; He died at age 70. Confessed sin; forgiven and suffered.
• But then did some of the most important work of his life in the remaining 20+ years of his life and Chronicles tells us how much of that was spent gathering materials for and planning the Temple.
• It seems he also took what had written earlier in the midst of trials and battles and edited it for Temple use.
After David and to the form we have today
• Some compilations may have been made in the intervening years by Hezekiah or Josiah during their times of revival (several writers wrote after David—though he appointed the families).
• Most likely the complete collection and order we have today complied by Ezra and associates after the return from the exile in Babylon.
• This was the same time when Chronicles was written and Jewish scriptures solidified.
Overall—what they are and how are they divided
• Overall, they are Prayers and hymns addressed to God.
• Used as private and corporate worship in Israel and today.
• Many however written by an individual retelling their experience their walk, their living with God.
• These personal recollections of people interacting with God is what helps us follow God in every part of our life because the Psalms deal with many parts of life.
• We’ll see that as we look at Psalms of Praise, Salvation History, Lament, and Imprecatory Psalms (this are the hard ones that call down judgement and curses on enemies).
• I’ll give an examples of these specific types and THEN application suggestions and what we can learn from that Psalm for our walk with God and growth as Jesus’ disciple.
SUPER IMPORTANT when READING & APPLYING Psalms
• YOU MUST READ THE WHOLE THING!
• Many of the Psalms are a progression either of praise or of an emotion from abject pain or questioning or fear to a confident or quiet trust in God.
• Like the book of Job, if you don’t read the whole thing, you can easily misinterpret the verse either in disappointment or unrealistic expectations.
Psalms of Praise & Worship
• Psalm 100, MSG 1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.
• 3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
• 4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
• 5 For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.
• Many Psalms fit into this category and are good to read or sing when you want to worship God.
More Praise application ideas—for your walk with God
• When you don’t know how to praise, read a Psalm.
• Join in corporate praise.
• Remind yourself and be specific about what God HAS done.
• Be thankful—a thankfulness journal is a great idea.
• Also think about writing your own Psalm of praise or thankfulness to God.
Psalms of Salvation History, of Israel
• Retelling all or in part the history of Israel and lessons from it
• Ps. 107—story of how Israel sinned and God delivered—back and forth—
• …….Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.[a]
• 4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress. . . . .
• Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.. . . . .
The Psalm continues
• Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.
• 43 Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.
• APPLICATION: look at your history; Some good, some maybe not so good, but God accepts it all.
• Take time to evaluate the lessons of your life before God, but don’t obsess or dwell on it too long.
• Remember it says that what we are to PONDER is “the loving deeds of the Lord.”
• Don’t let your past define you; don’t continue to be a victim or hold resentments or you may miss what God is doing NOW.
Psalms of Lament, personal and corporate
• Psalm 43, NLB: O God, defend me from the charges of these merciless, deceitful men. 2 For you are God, my only place of refuge. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I mourn at the oppression of my enemies?
• 3 Oh, send out your light and your truth—let them lead me. Let them lead me to your Temple on your holy mountain, Zion. 4 There I will go to the altar of God, my exceeding joy, and praise him with my harp. O God—my God! 5 O my soul, why be so gloomy and discouraged? Trust in God! I shall again praise him for his wondrous help; he will make me smile again, for he is my God!
• Pattern: honest discouragement, questions, progressing to renewed trust in God
• Application: do the same—lay it all out before God; ask your questions, voice your fears,
• God is not shocked, won’t be upset with you, either your actions or bad attitudes—he already knows.
• But then get with other Christians, praise, be thankful—remind yourself of the promises of God—focus on them, not your troubles.
Imprecatory Psalms
• The entire range of human emotions in Psalms
• And so in addition to sadness and joy we have “Imprecatory Psalms” means to invoke or call down (evil or curses), as upon a person.
• Example:
• Psalm 137:7 – 9: Remember, LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried,
• “tear it down to its foundations!” Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
On how to handle these Psalm–Good commentary from
• Fee, Gordon D.. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: Fourth Edition (pp. 228-229). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
• Through the imprecatory psalms, God invites us “in your anger, do not sin” (Ps 4:4, as cited in Eph. 4:26). We must fulfill the New Testament teaching, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Eph 4:26 – 27), by expressing our anger directly to and through God rather than by seeking to return evil to those who have done evil to us. Imprecatory psalms harness our anger and help us express it (to God) by using the same sorts of obvious, purposeful exaggeration known to us from other types of psalms.
• ……We may honestly express our anger to God, no matter how bitterly and hatefully we feel it, and let God take care of justice against those who misuse us. …The proper function of these psalms, then, is to help us not to be “overcome by evil” but to free us from our anger, that we might “overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:21).
• Application: Take your hate and anger to God—ask him to deal with people—you stay out of it. You won’t be effective in most cases, and you may say and do things you regret. Much wisdom needed here—but we can be assured no one gets away with anything.
• Remember “Let God take care of justice against those who misuse us” and He will.
• Sometimes the greatest test is that of trust.
• ALSO, the TIMING is in God’s hands—it seems nothing happens when WE want it to, but God takes care of things.
• No matter what our situation, these Psalms show us that nothing is off limits to God.
You see this with the life of David—he constantly wrote Psalms
• In that a great contrast with Saul and other kings, who were consumed often with jealousy and power (and who didn’t write any Psalms).
• David did not defend himself or seek the kingdom for himself in the years Saul persecuted him without cause.
• David was totally focused on God as shown in the Psalms, during good times, bad times, times of victory and times of failure and defeat.
• From his youngest experiences as a Shepherd, Ps 23, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
• The times running from Saul, Ps. 34:19: The righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
• To dealing with sin, Ps. 51:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
To one of the last in the section ascribed to his Psalms, Ps.71, when he reflects on life….
• 17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.
• 19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God?
20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth, you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.
• 22 I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—I whom you have delivered
• David was called the “man after God’s own heart” and I think this is why even though his life was filled with troubles and challenges, he always remembered God was with him in them all and he (and other Psalm writers) wrote these words as a testimony of that.
Overall applications
• Every emotion in life—good, bad, and in between—the Psalms teach us these are part of our life lived before God and we can share ALL of them with Him as we grow as His disciple.
• When we become a Christian, we enter into a new kind of life where God wants to touch, influence, and be a part of every corner of our lives.
• That is what it means to be a disciple.
• Psalms help show us how to do that.
Finally, learn from your reading of Psalms
• Don’t be afraid of any emotion, question, or fear in your life, don’t hide them.
• Share freely with your God—and leave judgement and the outworking in His hands.
• Read and think about Psalms as you go through your days, even after using the reading schedule, it is OK to jump in anywhere in the book to read a Psalm, (but read the WHOLE PSALM).
• Consider journaling; write your own Psalm.
• With Psalms and all else we study, consciously strive to live your life, all your life open before God, and in a way that helps you become more and more like Jesus, your Savior.