Psalms: Wisdom, Praises, Prophecy

Lesson for May 13, 2018

Psalm 1, 100, 110

What are some of the artists and bands you listen to?  Think of three songs you've listened to recently.  What are they singing about?  Does their message stick with you?  Does it help you form opinions or inspire you to action?

The singers, rockers, rappers, bands, artists you listen to are the psalmists in your life.  A psalm is a sacred song.  Ultimately, anything you worship and adore, even if it is not God, is sacred to you.

The Lifeway Gospel Project author of today's lesson made the following comment:

Today, we are part of a generation that has largely forgotten how to pray and sing the psalms. Perhaps for the first time in all of church history, the psalms are no longer the bedrock for our individual devotion or corporate worship. This puts us out of step not only with the rest of church history, but the earliest Christians. The apostles quoted more from the psalms than any other book in the Old Testament. They were steeped in the rhythm, poetry, and theology of their people’s prayer book.

Have you ever been encouraged to pray and sing from the book of Psalms?
Do you know how you would do it if you wanted to try?

What can we learn from the book of Psalms? For example:
1. Wisdom to live a life right with God (Psalm 1)
2. Going to God with our troubles.
3. Praise and adoration for God as our creator, salvation, and provider of all good things (Psalm 100)
4. Confession for our sins against God (Psalm 51)
5. Prophecy of the coming Messiah, both when Jesus came the first time and when He returns (Psalm 110)
6. The value of the scriptures (Psalm 119)

Read Psalm 1

The very first Psalm encourages us to seek wisdom and guidance from God and his people.

How does God bless the righteous?
In verse 1, we are warned about leaning on the wisdom of the ungodly.  What is the progression of listening to evil that we must avoid?

What is the eventual outcome of the wicked?

What are ways that we follow the counsel of the world?

Read Psalm 100

The Psalms are songs.  That seems obvious.  Psalm 100 is an illustration of the joy of praising God, especially with other people.  We can speak and sing the psalms to God as prayer and as acts of worship.

Do you come into God's presence with singing? When we have worship time, are you wholeheartedly singing praises or distracted by other things?  What is preventing you from enthusiastically worshiping God with others?

Read Psalm 110

Psalms is also a book of prophecy.  A prophet is someone who shares a message from God.  Be wary, there are many false prophets both in history and claiming to be prophets today.  The acid test is that the prophet who truly speaks for God is not wrong, because God doesn't lie and he already knows the future.

Psalm 110 prophesies about a priest-king that would come to save us.  Jesus came as priest on earth when he offered the sacrifices for our sins.  Soon, He will return as king to rule.

Summary with a story:

Colossians 3:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

It is a New Testament command repeated twice that we are to speak, teach, admonish, encourage one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.


We can get our counsel from the world, its music, its programming, or we can share Christian music and Christian wisdom with each other.

Action Plan
Read 1 Psalm each day, find Christian music that helps you know God's word better.

Job: The Question of Suffering

Lesson for May 6, 2018

Job 1; Job 16:1-5,18-22; Job 40:1-5, Job 42:7-9

If you were stepped on by a brontosaur,
dinner for a carnivore,
or your hair was singed by your pet dragon.

If the smoke from his nose is on your clothes,
his scales frightened all your bros
and your life is a drag--no fun

I agree you've faced some suffering,
and have a case for grumbling, but
remember Job, God, and the leviathan.

The family motto at my house is 'Bains don't complain'. Of course, it seems like no one ever pays attention to the family motto.  If anyone ever had a reason to complain, it was certainly Job.  Job was a man who probably lived some time before Abraham.  He was exceedingly rich and respected in his community, but above all else, he lived a life that demonstrated his love and reverence for God. God prospered Job in all he did and Job never forgot where the blessings come from.

However, things were about the change for Job.

Read Job 1:1-19.

What did Job have and what did he lose?
Why would God let Satan do something like this?

Read Job 1:20-22

What was Job's response to his calamity?
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like Job?  How did you respond?

Circumstances that cause suffering fall upon the righteous and wicked alike, just like the rain.  Job did not do anything specific to deserve what he went through; but like Job, we live in a fallen world that has been corrupted by sin.  My sin, your sin, and all of humanity's sin is the reason for suffering in the world.  So, in fact, we ALL deserve the suffering that comes upon us.

When Job did not sin by accusing God of wrongdoing, Satan requested permission to test Job by afflicting him directly with painful sores all over his body.  Job's friends came to visit him and attempt to comfort him.  For a whole week they sat with Job, and no one said anything.  Then Job complained in ways no different than the rest of us.  His friends listened patiently for a while, but then made the mistake of arguing with Job about what was happening.  They made the mistake of assuming that Job had done something to bring his troubles upon himself.

Read Job 16:1-5

Like many of you, I want to 'fix' things.  Sometimes rather than attempting to 'be helpful', it is best to be a quiet comforter as people go through things rather than attempting to fix things that can only be resolved in God's timing.

Think about a time when someone you know was going through some troubles.  Were you helpful or not?

Job 16:18-22 reminds us that our true comforter and intercessor is in Heaven.  His name is Jesus.

At the end of it all, God interceded for Job and restored him.  God admonished Job for his complaints by reminding him of the Behemoth (Job 40), an animal Job would have been familiar with.  It ate grass like an oxen, had powerful legs and muscles in its belly.  Its tail swung like the trunk of a cedar tree. It was certainly no elephant or hippopotamus.  Then God reminded Job of the Leviathan (Job 41): a creature whose scaly body was impenetrable, who poured out smoke from his nostrils and flames from his mouth.  This was also a living animal Job was familiar with that demonstrated the chasm between God and man.  Job repented from questioning the sovereignty of God in prosperity and in suffering.  Job prayed for his friends and they were forgiven as well.

Read Job 40:1-5, Job 42:7-9

Ultimately, there has only been one man that has suffered unjustly.  Jesus accepted unbelievable suffering to restore all who believe to a right relationship with God, and also, to give people a home in Heaven where there are no more tears.

What are you suffering from today?  How can you give it over to God's will and let him take you through it?  Ask God to help you through your area of suffering.