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.

About Psalm 19, what we found

Here are some of the comments we found on Thursday:

1. The Church teaches that God created the universe by His word, according to His wisdom. Does this concept appear in Psalm 19?
   1. Bob R.: I see it all over.
2. The second half of the psalm describes the Torah. Is there something in the first half that describes Jesus or the Gospel?
   1. Bob R.:Jesus the Bridegroom
   2. Dave: the tabernacle, pitching the tent for the sun
   3. Ken: the Word created the universe; also, the message going out over the earth is like the mission to evangelize.
3. Is there something about the message of Jesus that is inescapable to any man, woman or child, something that no man escapes?
   1. Ken: You cannot hide from the truth.
   2. Jim: How about, "No man comes to the Father except through me," for something everyone must experience?
   3. Al: The prophet Jeremiah recalled the Lord's vocation, "Before you were born, I knew you," something God could say to anyone.
   4. Jim: Spell it sun or son, it makes no difference.
4. The precepts or statutes of the Lord lead to rejoicing of the heart, but federal and state statutes are about crimes and misdemeanors, so how can the Lord's statutes lead to rejoicing?
   1. Ken: Holy fear leads to perfection and joy.

We had an excellent session.

Hebrew letters for the Lord's encouragement, "Fear not, for I am with you."

Next Thursday, Psalm 128, a mighty psalm, one of the greatest of all.

Thursday, Sept. 27, Psalm 19

Today we will ascend to greatness and consider Psalm 19. Here are a few study questions.

1. The Church teaches that God created the universe by His word, according to His wisdom. Does this concept appear in Psalm 19?
2. The second half of the psalm describes the Torah. Is there something in the first half that describes Jesus or the Gospel?
3. Is there something about the message of Jesus that is inescapable to any man, woman or child, something that no man escapes?
4. Does Jesus' view of the Torah lead to the conversion of souls?
5. The precepts or statutes of the Lord lead to rejoicing of the heart, but federal and state statutes are about crimes and misdemeanors, so how can the Lord's statutes lead to rejoicing? And by the way, how many statutes are on the books of the Lord?
6. WHAT THE --?! Fear endures forever? That does not seem quite right -- or does it?
7. In Acts 3, St. Peter with St. John mentions gold and silver by the "Beautiful Gate" of the temple. How does that series of events relate to God's judgements?
8. To whom will the Day of Judgement be sweet? To whom will it be bitter?
9. What makes sins hard to "detect," hard to comprehend?
10. What was the worst, most horrendous sin ever committed? Is it possible for a man to be complicit with that sin, even now?
11. How would Peter, the Rock, have prayed this psalm?

Let's have some coffee and talk it over, seeing deeper into the perfect Torah of freedom.

Psalm 54, one of the great Psalms

Last Thursday, we looked into Psalm 54, one of the great Psalms, asking these questions. A few comments follow.

1. David, as God called him, ‘a man after my own heart,’ wrote Psalm 54 in time of danger. How does this psalm show God’s heart?
2. The time of danger was mentioned in 1 Sam. 23:19 etc., when David (anointed in 1 Sam 16) was betrayed to Saul by the Ziphites. Was this similar to a time in Jesus’ life?
3. Ziphim -- meaning sprinkled in the face. How does sprinkling have to do with the Messiah?
   1. St. Hilary of Poitiers: Sprinkling on the face but not on the heart. People offer lip service but not their hearts, ‘they honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’ This well describes the people who betrayed Jesus.
4. Did God the Father ever defend the cause of Jesus or vindicate Jesus in some way?
   1. Ken: Yes, especially at the resurrection and ascension.
5. Notice that David asks to be judged or defended by God’s strength and power, not by his mercy. Takes guts to do that. Most men would ask for mercy. Why does David ask for power?
6. Are the words of your mouth perfect and acceptable to God?
7. How does the voice of David change from v. 5 to v. 6?
   1. St. Hilary of Poitiers: it sets out the result of a heard prayer.
8. ‘They have not set God before their eyes,’ is visual, and Hilary says it is balanced by the foes having been turned back. Does this relate to the Exodus?
   1. Yes. It is like God casting a glance into the camp of the Egyptians, causing panic. Cf., Ex. 14:24. Also, the great Jewish commentator Rashi comments on Ex. 14:24.
9. David says that, in the end, he looked down on his enemies, probably from a lofty cliff or knoll in the hills. How does Jesus look down on His enemies?

The greatest psalms

We will begin a 6 week study of the greatest of all the psalms. We will follow the mighty footsteps of David and Solomon, who were themselves walking toward the Lamb.

James, chapter 6

This morning we will study up the 6th chapter of James. A few of the following questions might help our reading and discussions:

1. What is the most important concept in the first five chapters, in your opinion.
2. Which shows greater contempt, flattery or quarreling?
3. The sacrament of anointing with oil, does it have the effect of remission of sins?
4. Does the gift of wisdom correspond to the seventh beatitude?
5. Is there mercy and justice in each of God’s works, or sometimes justice and at other times mercy?

As always, we want to view God's perfect Torah of freedom in each of the scriptures He has sent to us.

James 5, here we go.

Let's work on the Epistle of James, chapter 5, with a few questions:

1. A person who cheats his workers of their pay, in v. 4, is committing sin, a grievous sin which cries out to heaven. What is the nature of that cry? For what does it ask?
2. Is keeping back a wage the sin of theft or lying?
3. Have you ever been cheated out of a paycheck?
4. Does slavery jive with James' admonition here in v. 4?
5. What would Blessed Sal of Goldenrod say is the answer to v. 4's injustice?
6. Did Jesus ever get cheated of wages?
7. Is there ever a cry out of heaven along the same lines that James describes in v. 4?
8. Were the prodigal son and his father ever in a wage dispute?
9. Anointing with oil, as a sacrament, has its roots in vv. 13-15. What kinds of anointing happened in the Old Testament?
10. Was Jesus ever anointed?

We must gaze steadily into the perfect Torah of freedom, if we desire wisdom. The Epistle of James is just a start.