THE
BIBLE JESUS READ: PSALMS—THE VARRIED EXPRESSIONS OF THOSE WHO SERVE GOD
Psalms 89:46-52
The Psalms represent the wide range of human emotions, everything from praise for
God to accusations against Him. God has, in the Psalms, seen fit to open to
full view the many emotions common to human hearts. In this laying bare of
man’s deepest feelings we come to understand better the nature of both man and
God. We see ourselves in all our reality, the good, the bad, and all in
between. Mostly, however, we see our God as a loving Father willing to
patiently, yet firmly, guide His children to glory. God be praised!
A BOOK OF CONTRASTS
AND COMPLEXITIES
1. Man’s
exalted place in Psalm 8:3-5, yet a sense of abandonment in Psalm 10:1.
2. The
Psalms contain themes of: lament, vengeance, praise, doubt, conviction,
Messianic foreshadowing, grief, anger, joy and thanksgiving.
3. What
does God want us to make of all this?
ADDRESSED TO GOD
1. The
Psalms are prayers addressed to God.
2. They
give valuable examples of all kinds of people trying their best to express to
God their reactions to a confusing world, one that at times seems most unfair.
3. The
Psalms are not in our Bibles so much to explain life as they are to show us
that God receives an honest heart on every level of its emotions.
4. In
our struggles of faith through times of light and times of darkness, we can
know that God hears, understands, and will guide us to higher ground through
the experiences (cf. Jas. 1:2-4, 5:11; Matt. 5:12; I Pet. 1:6-9).
VARRIED AND IN NO
ORDERLY ARRANGEMENT—LIKE LIFE
1. The
Psalms present their multifaceted themes to us without bothering to align them
into neat categories.
2. Life
is like that—its moods and circumstances change dramatically, often with no
transition or warning.
a. Psalm
105:4-5 and Psalm 69:3.
b. Psalm
22 and Psalm 23.
c. Psalm
102 and Psalm 103.
SPIRITUAL THERAPY
1. In
spiritual growth we must face our dreads and fears before we can be healed.
2. In
the Psalms God encourages us to bring Him our fears, regrets, and doubts.
a. Psalm
88:13-18.
b. Psalm
89:46-48.
c. Psalm
51.
d. Psalm
71.
PRAISE THE LORD!
1. We
easily “praise” our sports heroes, but much more awkwardly do we freely praise
our God.
2. The
Psalms show us the beauty of unbridled, unashamed praise.
a. Psalm
98.
b. Psalm
100.
c. Psalm
138.
THE REALIGNMENT OF
OUR SPIRITS
1. The
Psalms show us that all of life is to be devoted to giving God praise for all
our successes.
2. We
need to look away from self and toward God.
3. Even
when our own deeds have seemingly brought success, it is God who is to be
praised.
a. Psalm
56 and I Samuel 21:10-15.
b. Psalm
59 and I Samuel 19:11-17.
c. Psalm
57 and I Samuel 24:1-15.
d. Psalm
18 and all the difficulties David faced in I and II Samuel.
3. Indeed,
God is the One truly in control!
The Psalms are a wonderful collection of
faithful humans pouring their hearts out to God. We can take courage in knowing
that God is there, He cares, and He will listen to His children—even when they
are not at their best. God be praised!
Edwin
9/10/00
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