Psalms Week 1 Notes

THE WHY

1. God is speaking today

Premise: God is speaking today.

Are we listening?

A. Ways that God Speaks to us

The Word of God

The People of God

The Spirit of God

Through the Word

In the inner man

The Sovereignty of God in Circumstance

B. The Word as primary, filter, foundation

The primary and foundational way that God speaks to us is through the Scriptures — His word’s written down for us and to us.

Not the only way he speaks.

Whenever God speaks it will never be in contradiction to the Scriptures

this is one way we tell whose voice it is we are hearing.

2. Why we should seek to hear from God?

Troubling Times

Deceitful Doctrines

Confusion in our times

Guidance in Life

We have a relationships with Him

If God is a person, then why don’t we experience the kind of conversation we have with other people?

Why the Psalms?

The psalms are a collection of poems, songs to the Lord

Categories of Psalms

Psalms as a model for how to talk with God

Learning to talk with God.

What are the Psalms

1. The Psalter is a collection of 150 poems that express a wide variety of emotions, including:

love and adoration toward God, sorrow over sin, dependence on God in desperate circumstances, the battle of fear and trust, walking with God even when the way seems dark, thankfulness for God’s care, devotion to the word of God, and confidence in the eventual triumph of God’s purposes for the world.

2. The Hebrew name for the book is Tehillim, “Praises,” pointing to the characteristic use of these songs as praises offered to God in public worship.

3. The individual psalms come from diverse periods of Israel’s history:

from the time of Moses (15th or 13th century b.c.), to that of David and Solomon (10th century), down to exilic and postexilic times (e.g., Psalm 137).

4. Their primary function has already been mentioned:

the Psalter is the songbook of the people of God in their gathered worship.

These songs cover a wide range of experiences and emotions, and give God’s people the words to express these emotions and to bring these experiences before God.

At the same time, the psalms do not simply express emotions: when sung in faith, they actually shape the emotions of the godly

We are not going to look at the psalms as a whole

or talk about them for corporate use/worship

We are going to ask the question, how does this help us learn to talk with God?

The psalms are recording yearnings of God’s people to God and contains God’s words to his people

sometimes he answers, sometimes he does not

In this way, they help us to learn how we can talk to God in a much more personal way than even the Israelites

I say that because, as believes indwelt by the very presence of God in the Holy Spirit, have a unique relationship and personal relationship to God the father.

The words of the psalms then become our words

and the psalms becomes God’s word to us.

This is true corporately and also individually

I know that I have greatly benefited from these personally

furthermore they were written by individuals, regarding individual situations and struggles with God

just like we do today.

Psalm 1

Blessings

Blessing/Happiness is what is at stake

Psalm 1:1 (CSB)

1 How happy/blessed is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers!

The Instruction of the Lord (The Scriptures) the Key to blessing

Blessing comes from meditating, thinking, considering, his word

Blessings looks like this prosperous, fruit bearing tree as opposed to withering chaff

The Company you keep matters

Aspects:

God Speaks

Psalm 50

Psalm 50:3 CSB

3 Our God is coming; he will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes him, and a storm rages around him.

Psalm 50:7 CSB

7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel. I am God, your God.

Psalm 50:15 CSB

15 Call on me in a day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor me.”

Psalm 107 - Cry out to the Lord

Psalm 107:1 CSB

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 107:6 CSB

6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; he rescued them from their distress.

Psalm 107:13 CSB

13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; he saved them from their distress.

Psalm 107:19 CSB

19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; he saved them from their distress.

Psalm 107:28 CSB

28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.

Psalm 115 — Idols do not Speak but God does

Psalm 115:5 CSB

5 They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.

Psalm 119

The Benefits of talking with God

Psalm 119:1 CSB

1 How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instruction!

Psalm 112:6 CSB

6 He will never be shaken. The righteous one will be remembered forever.

Psalm 119:25 CSB

25 My life is down in the dust; give me life through your word.

Psalm 119:28 CSB

28 I am weary from grief; strengthen me through your word.

Praise for affliction

Psalm 119:67 CSB

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

Psalm 119:71 CSB

71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn your statutes.

Psalm 119:107 CSB

107 I am severely afflicted; Lord, give me life according to your word.

Guidance

Psalm 119:105 CSB

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

Psalm 119:130 CSB

130 The revelation of your words brings light and gives understanding to the inexperienced.

Psalm 119:169 CSB

169 Let my cry reach you, Lord; give me understanding according to your word.

Truth

Psalm 119:160 CSB

160 The entirety of your word is truth, each of your righteous judgments endures forever.