Lesson 7 for August 13, 2011

Psalms are songs made to sing with instrumental accompaniment. There are a lot of different themes in psalms, and we are going to study five of them.

One of the greatest reasons of praise is to exalt God as Creator and Supporter of everything that exists. We can see that in many Psalms, like in Psalm 8, 19, 90, 95, 100, 104, 148… “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions” (Psalm 104: 24) “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions” (Psalm 104: 24) “The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95: 5-6) “The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95: 5-6) “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100: 2-3) “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100: 2-3)

In Psalm 19 we see God as Creator (vv. 1-6), Lawgiver (vv. 7-11) and Redeemer (vv ). We can understand this ideas better when we read the New Testament, where Jesus is introduced as the incarnate Word from God (John, 1: 1-3), Creator of everything (Colossians, 1: 16), who explained and extended God’s law (Matthew, 5: 21-22) and our Redeemer (Romans, 3: 24). “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands… The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes … Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me; Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression” (Psalm 19: 1, 8, 13)

Another reason to praise God in Psalms is the judgment. God will judge this world with justice and every injustice we are suffering today will be justly replied. The judgment can be found in Psalm 1, 7, 9, 10, 19, 75, 84, 98… In Psalm 73, the psalmist almost loses his faith when he sees how evil people live well and he, who is living a righteous life, lives bad. He understands how God will do justice only when he comes in the Sanctuary and understands the message of the investigative judgment. “Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches. Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence; For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning” (Psalm 73: 12-14) “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end” (Psalm 73: 17)

As believers, we must not envy those who do evil and are successful. If we act in a righteous way and we cling to the throne of grace and mercy, God will do justice to us even if we have a bad time now. As God’s remnant people, Judgment is a main message for us and we must share it with everyone. “Saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Revelation, 14: 7)

Rich people cannot buy salvation with their wealth. Neither poor people can buy salvation with their suffering. We all depend on Christ for our salvation.

“My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word” (Psalm 119: 28) “May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice” (Psalm 20: 3) “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51: 2) “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27: 1) “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27: 1) “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141: 2) “He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice” (Psalm 9: 8 NIV)

Psalm 105: 8-15Psalm 105: 17-22Psalm 78: 5-7Psalm 78: 13 Psalm 78: 14Psalm 78: 15-16Psalm 78: 23-25Psalm 78: Psalm 78, 105 and 106, sing about the story of how God conducted the people of Israel in the past. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth” (Psalm 105:1-5)

Remembering the history in our worship involves preaching the Scriptures, reaching hearts, changing lives and enriching the worship of the believers. “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy, 4: 2 NIV)

“In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history” E.G.W. (Testimony Treasures, vol. 3, “A parting word of confidence”, pg. 443)