Psalm 18

The psalm of intense power, 51 verses full with God's grace.

What things soever are spoken in this Psalm which cannot apply to the Lord Himself personally, that is to the Head of the Church, must be referred to the Church. For whole Christ speaks here, in whom are all His members.
- St. Augustine

Let's begin with a few questions:

1. For David the king, in time of danger, what would he consider to be a band of death, a cord of death that could encompass or encircle him?
2. What band of death tried to encompass Jesus?
3. Was David ever trapped underwater or endangered by the sea? If not, who was?
4. When did David display righteousness when he was in danger?
5. Have you ever wished for a path through a dangerous place, a perfect path, where you could step and be sure not to fall?
6. Does v. 12 seem like a description, in a way, of a tabernacle?
   
   I.e., does it have properties we would expect a normal tabernacle to have?
7. What happens to hailstones when they land on the ground? How does this compare to God's admonition, as it lands in our heart?
8. What is it that enlightens our vision? And how is it that God lights a man's lamp, enlightening his vision?

Psalm 126, the psalm of freedom

"When the Lord brought Zion's captives home, at first it seemed like a dream." What noble words to begin this psalm! Only six verses, yet they are powerful.

Here are some additional questions by which to work through this psalm:

1. How did we get into captivity? Where were we captive?
2. Are we promised a return to 31.7857°N, 35.2007°E, i.e., to Jerusalem in Israel?
3. Make a mental list: How many times did Israel become captive? How many people in the Old Testament experienced captivity?
4. Was Jesus ever a captive? How about the apostles?
5. What is the nature of Babylon? How would a prophet describe it?
6. If you follow the Messiah, are you heading home from Babylon or back to captivity?
7. How easy is it to speak if your mouth is filled?
8. What does Jesus say about the things that come out of our mouth, our words? How does he rate them?
9. Literally, the psalmist says, "like torrents in the south," What is the south of Israel like, Deacon Al?
10. What do we sow, as apostolic Christians?
11. Where were the returning captives sowing seed?
12. How many times have you planeted a garden hopefully and weeds take over the garden? Big disaster.

Now we can look into this noble song and really apply it.

Questions for Psalm 33 and its source of power

St. Augustine wrote quite a bit about this psalm, and it is understandable, being as how it is loaded with God's power.

Here are a few questions to start getting your mind wrapped around Psalm 33:

1. What is the one idea you would use to describe God's Word?
2. In v. 5 of the Douay-Rheims Psalm 33, it reads "He loves mercy and judgement." Why does mercy come first rather than judgement? Does it happen that way in an earthly court of law?
3. How is it, in v. 12, that God has an inheritance? Shouldn't it be vice versa?
4. What is the Lord's dwelling place, from which He surveys all mankind? Think it over carefully.
5. What is your hope?

It is an interesting psalm to look into, and tomorrow, with coffee and some brainpower, by the Holy Spirit's help, we will start looking into this powerful psalm!

Lofty praise, profound power: Psalm 33

We will study Psalm 33 on Thursday this week, a psalm of praise,

Sing to him a new song;
skillfully play with joyful chant.

yet also a psalm of power. The earth if full of the mercy of the Lord.

Ascent to greatness, Psalm 90, prayer of Moses the man of God

Now we turn toward the truly great psalm, Psalm 90, the prayer of Moses the man of God. Here are a few of the questions to get you really thinking.

1. If the temple in Jerusalem is God's dwelling place, then how is it that He Himself is our dwelling place, as a place of refuge?
2. From everlasting to everlasting: why does v. 2 refer to God in the present tense, "you are" as if it is between eternities?
3. From what does the Lord ask men to return? Where were they?
4. Why does Moses compare time to the life of a flowering plant?
5. Is there some significance in the numbers 70 and 80?
6. Do you have an accurate, adequate understanding of God's wrath?

There are still more questions to ask, wisdom to find, in this mighty psalm. We will start on that task tomorrow morning.

Questions in Psalm 128

Of all the 150 psalms, one of the greatest is Psalm 128, even though it is a short psalm: small yet mighty.

Here are a few questions to consider while reading and studying this psalm:

1. The second verse is literally about eating the labor of your fruits, instead of the fruits of your labors. Why is man who lives from the labor of his hands greater than the one who fears the Lord (v. 1)?
2. 
   If we think of this psalm as describing the Messiah, then we must ask, who is the Messiah's wife?
3. Who is the vineyard?
4. Who then is the structure of the home, the walls or sides inside which the vineyard produces?
5. How does Matthew say that becoming a member of Jesus' family happens? It is not a biological DNA-based family, but a family indeed, but how?
6. Who can we consider to be the children in this psalm?
7. How long will you see Jerusalem in its prosperity?

There are many truths to find in this small but mighty psalm. Let's look into it on Thursday morning.