Psalm 147
Praise the Lord for his grace to Israel.
1–6 God’s greatness and our neediness
7–11 God’s provision and our faith
12–20 God’s blessings and our praise
- “The God of the stars is the God of broken hearts” (Robert Ketcham, vv. 3–4).
- Verses 2–6 brings the contrasts of God’s greatness and our lowliness together to encourage trust and faith in him.
- What do we have a tendency to glorify (v. 10)? What does the Lord desire (v. 11)? Shouldn’t we want what God wants?
Psalm 145
Praising God for the greatness and goodness of His kingdom.
1–2 Commitment to praise the Lord
3–7 Praising God for His great deeds
8–13 Praising God for His kingdom
14–16 Praising God for His care
17–21 Praising God for His righteousness
- This psalm is an alphabetic acrostic, each verse begins with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
- Read this psalm several times and meditate on it. Note key verses of God’s greatness and grace and the response you should have.
Psalm 146
Trust in the God of Israel.
1–2 Commitment to praise the Lord
3–4 Don’t trust in man
5–9 Trust in the God of Israel
10 Israel encouraged to praise the Lord
- Why shouldn’t you trust in man (vv. 3–4)? Why should you trust the Lord (vv. 5–9)?
Psalm 144
Depending on God for victory over enemies.
1–4 Praising God for His protection
5–8 Prayer for God’s deliverance
9–11 Praise and prayer
12–15 Prayer for God’s blessing
- We tend to think too highly of ourselves; verses 3–4 helpfully remind us of our true position before an infinite God.
- Verses 12–15 are the result of God’s deliverance.
Psalm 143
Trusting a merciful God for deliverance.
1–4 Prayer for mercy in times of trouble
5–6 Confidence in prayer
7–10 Prayer for deliverance
11–12 Closing prayer of trust
- How does remembering God’s acts in the past encourage trusting prayer in the present (vv. 5–6)?
- “Level ground” (v. 10)—God would provide clear guidance and protection.
- What is David’s reason and motivation for asking for God’s deliverance (v. 11)? How should this control your prayers?
Psalm 142
Trusting God when greatly troubled.
1–2 Seeking the Lord
3–4 Lonely and overwhelmed
5–7 Prayer for deliverance
- What are the different ways David expresses his trust in the Lord in this psalm?
- Humanly speaking David’s situation was hopeless, yet is David hopeless? How could he end on such a positive note (v. 7)?
Psalm 141
A prayer for protection against sin.
1–2 Hear me, O God
3–4 Protect me from sin
5 Bless me with discipline
6–7 Judge the wicked
8–10 Deliver me
- Compare verses 3–4 with verse 9 and Proverbs 4:14–19. The prayer is that he would be separate from evildoers in words, thoughts, deeds, and desires.
- Do you think of discipline in this way (v. 5)? What would happen if you weren’t disciplined? Compare this with Hebrews 12:4–17.
- In verse 7, a farmer’s plowing brings dirt up to the surface—in like manner, the wicked will not “rest in peace.”
Psalm 140
A prayer for deliverance from evil men.
1–3 Plea for help
4–5 Praying for deliverance
6–8 Confessing trust in God
9–11 Praying for judgment
12–13 Relying on God’s justice
- This is a great psalm to see how faith depends on the Lord in difficult circumstances.
- Note the psalmist’s first words in verse 6a—what are his cries in verses 1–5 and his requests and trust in verses 8–13 based on? What—who—do you trust in?
Psalm 139
Trusting in the one true God.
1–6 God knows me perfectly
7–12 God cannot be escaped
13–18 God gave and determines life
19–24 God demands absolute loyalty
- Think on the truths of verses 1–12 in light of the closing prayer (vv. 23–24).
- The point of verses 13–16 is that God knows you intimately because he created you.
- Verses 19–22 is the psalmist’s declaration of allegiance to the one true God. Think back to Psalm 1—why is such devotion important?
Psalm 138
A psalm of thanksgiving and trust.
1–3 Praising God for answered prayer
4–5 Expectation of universal praise
6–8 Testifying of God’s merciful love and care
- “Gods” (v. 1) can refer to human rulers or the idols they serve.
- Verse 7a is a great truth; memorize and meditate on it
- In verses 7–8 the psalmist is definitely in trouble; but what is his attitude throughout the psalm? Why (v. 8)? Is he controlled by the circumstance or conviction? How does that happen?
Psalm 137
Israel’s prayers upon remembering her exile.
1–3 Remembering the exile in Babylon
4–6 Commitment to Jerusalem
7–9 Prayer for God to judge Edom and Babylon
- The Babylonians wanted Jews to sing for entertainment (v. 3) but they refused. Why (vv. 4–6)?
- The prayer in verses 7–9 has a biblical basis in Isaiah 13:16–22 which was made before Jerusalem’s destruction and exile.
Psalm 136
Praising God for his everlasting mercies.
1–3 Call to praise
4–9 God’s creation of all things
10–22 God’s deliverance of Israel
23–26 God’s care for Israel
- This psalm was most likely responsive, with the leader saying the first line and the choir or congregation the second line.
