Psalm 135
Praising the one true God.
1–4 Opening call for praise
5–7 God’s greatness in creation
8–18 God’s grace toward Israel
19–21 All called to praise the Lord in Jerusalem
- What are some reasons from this psalm why the Lord should be praised?
- Verses 15-18 also occur in Psalm 115:4–8. Their inclusion here emphasizes that the one true God is the one who worked graciously for Israel.
- What specifically do you have to praise the Lord for?
Psalm 134
Encouraging the Levites’ ministry in the temple.
1–2 Give praise to the Lord
3 Be blessed by the Lord
- The Levites would continue in the temple through the night.
Psalm 133
A celebration of the unity of God’s people.
1 The blessing of unity
2 Unity is sacred
3 Unity is refreshing
- “It is like” (vv. 2–3) introduces a simile, a figure of speech
- Since the unity of believers is sacred and refreshing, what are you doing to strengthen and promote it in our church?
Psalm 132
A prayer for God to bless the Davidic king.
1–5 David’s desire to build a temple for God
6–9 Israel’s desire to worship the Lord
10–12 God’s promise for David’s house
13–18 God’s commitment to Jerusalem
- Verse 6 looks back to when the ark was at Kiritah-jearim (here, “field of Jaar”), 1 Samuel 6:21–7:2.
- Verses 1 and 10 are the prayers for God’s blessing on the Davidic king. These are based on God’s promises. Are your prayers for God’s blessing based on God’s promises? How well do you know what God has promised?
- “Horn” (v. 17) refers to a strong one, a king
Psalm 131
A psalm of contented trust in the Lord.
1 Contentment in daily life
2 Contentment in soul
3 Contentment in the Lord at all times
- Verse 1 doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do anything; the point is contentment in life and not substituting experiences for God.
- Does this psalm characterizes your trust in the Lord? If not, why not?
Psalm 130
Trusting in the Lord’s mercies for forgiveness of sins.
1–4 Testifying of God’s forgiveness
5–8 Relying on God’s mercy
- If God did not forgive (v. 4) would you fear him (trust, worship, love) or flee from him? Why?
Psalm 129
Israel’s trust in God when persecuted.
1–4 Israel’s trials and trust
5–8 God’s judgment on Israel’s oppressors
- The psalmist focuses on God’s righteousness—he will protect the righteous and judge the wicked.
- The believer responds to life’s circumstances by viewing such from God’s character.
Psalm 128
The blessings of those who fear the Lord.
1–4 The blessings
5–6 The benediction
- What characterizes fearing the Lord (v. 1)?
- The metaphors in verse 3 mean a happy and joyful home. Why is this so (cf. v. 1)?
Psalm 127
God’s provision for house and family.
1–2 God provides the needs for one’s home
3–5 God provides children for one’s family
- What does “vain” mean (v. 1)? Why is it true in verses 1–2?
- How should the truths in verses 3–5 control your attitude toward children?
Psalm 126
Israel’s joy in their restoration from captivity.
1–3 Praising God for his restoration
4–5 Praying God would complete Israel’s restoration
- Verse 9 refers to the very dry southern part of Israel; sudden rain would cause instant streams. What is the psalmist praying for then?
- Verses 5–6 compare Israel’s exile and restoration with the experience of sowing and harvest—the hard work of sowing (exile) is followed by the joy of harvest (restoration).
Psalm 119
Devotion to the Word of God.
- This psalm has 22 stanzas of 8 verses each. The verses of each stanza begin with the same Hebrew letter—an acrostic poem. This demonstrates that God’s Word fills all of life, and demands your careful meditation.
Psalm 125
God’s covenant blessings on Israel.
1–3 The security of God’s people
4–5 The blessing of God’s people
- The point of verse 3 seems to be that God protects the righteous from being corrupted by the wicked.
- What application can you draw from this psalm?
