WEEK 28

psalms this week
"The proper thing is for us always to think of God and pray without ceasing. If we are not able to achieve this, we can at least set special times for prayer each day. At these designated moments we can focus entirely on God."
     - John Calvin
​Psalms 82, 83, and 84

introduction to the Series

Most of what we learn how to do, we learn from other people. Sometimes it is the learning that comes from specific and deliberate instruction. At other times it is the learning that comes by way of example and imitation. During 2023, our endeavor is to learn how to pray from the Psalmist.*

The Book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, and it is mostly a book of prayers. We will spend the year going through the book, beginning to end, and letting the Psalmist teach us by example how to pray.
In this endeavor, we cannot benefit from his deliberate instruction, of course. What we can do, however, is take full advantage of his example.  We will observe how he prays, and we will learn to imitate him.

Our approach will be week by week. The recommended practices and exercises are not daily, but rather suggestions for an individual to implement throughout the whole week. ​

Exercises for this week

Psalm 82
Read Psalm 82.  This Psalm is an unusual one, and has been subject to a variety of  interpretations.  Our endeavor is not to focus on what is uncertain but on what is certain.  To that end, as you read Psalm 82, take a verse-by-verse approach, and consider these questions for each verse:
  • What is revealed about the Lord in this verse?
  • What is revealed about the others (whoever they may be) in this verse?
  • What do you learn about the Psalmist in this verse?

Focus now on the "others" in Psalm 82: the beings who are not clearly identified but who are clearly critiqued. Make a list of the following with respect to those others:
  • What do they do?
  • What do they fail or neglect to do? 
  • What are (or seem to be) their attributes? 
  • What seems to be their effect on the people and/or the world around them? 

As you reflect on what they do and do not do, make a list of other characters in Scripture who might be described the same way.

For each of the characters in Scripture that you listed, answer the following:
  • What was the effect of their behavior on others?
  • What was the Lord's response to them or to those who were affected by them? 

Continuing to think about the "others" of Psalm 82:
  • Do "they" still exist today?
  • Where do you see evidence today of the same things being done or not being done?
  • Where do you see evidence today of the same attributes?

Read verses 3-4 in multiple translations and meditate on the meaning of what is being expressed there.  To what extent are these verses addressed to you?

Read Psalm 82 again, this time with a focus on these questions:
  • What does the Psalmist believe about God?
  • What does the Psalmist ask of God? 

Based on what you read in this Psalm, how would you define justice?

Having reflected on the elements of Psalm 82, let it become the basis for an "ACTS" approach to prayer. Set aside a time for prayer -- or perhaps four times for prayer -- and pray through each of these foci in light of Psalm 82:
  • Adoration. For what should God be praised? What is revealed about His nature and His deeds that is worthy of your adoration this day?
  • Confession. What sins does this Psalm help to uncover?  What needs to be confessed?  Sins of thought, word, or deed?  Sins of commission?  Sins of omission? 
  • Thanksgiving. What deeds of the Lord are implied or revealed by this Psalm?  What has the Lord done that evokes gratitude?  What does He do that deserves your thanksgiving?
  • Supplication. What needs does this Psalm bring to light that deserve to be the subject of your prayers? For whom should you intercede?  For what should you pray? What does it look like to pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven?  ​
Psalm 83
Read Psalm 83. As with some previous Psalms we have read this year, this is a prayer about enemies. Accordingly, revisit some of the thinking you have done previously about enemies.  While the Psalmist clearly has people in mind, we might think more broadly about our enemies:
  • Who are or have been the human beings who oppose you or wish you harm?
  • What spiritual enemies do you face?
  • What emotional enemies do you battle? 
  • What physical enemies threaten you? 

Focus now on the enemies about whom the Psalmist is praying.  Consider what it is that you know about them:
  • What do they do or try to do?
  • What are (or seem to be) their attributes?
  • What motivates them?

As you reflect on what the Psalmist reveals about his enemies, make a list of other individuals or groups in the Bible that also fit his descriptions.
  • What did they try to accomplish?
  • What did they accomplish?
  • What was the Lord's response?

As you reflect on the Psalmist's enemies and what characterizes them, to what extent do you perceive those same kinds of enemies and attributes at work in the world today?

In the early part of the prayer, the Psalmist clearly equates his enemies with the Lord's enemies.  
  • To what extent is that a fair equivalence to make in the case of the Psalmist? 
  • To what extent is that a fair equivalence to make in the case of the personal enemies that you listed earlier? 
  • What difference does it make in your praying if your enemies are also His enemies?
  • What difference does it make to your faith if your enemies are also His enemies? 
​
As we have noted in several previous prayers, the Psalmist typically has a "why" or "because" that is either implicit or explicit in what he asks the Lord to do.  What "why" or "because" do you detect in Psalm 83? 

To what extent do you resonate with the "why" of the Psalmist's prayer?

To what extent does the Psalmist's "why" comport with the character of God?  To what extent does it comport with the will of God? 

The Psalmist prays at length about certain kinds of fate for his enemies. 
  • What is most striking to you about what the Psalmist prays in this regard?
  • The Psalmist writes in highly picturesque language.  If you were to translate his heart's desires into more prosaic expressions, how would you rewrite vss. 13-17? 
  • In what ways might the Psalmist's prayer be exemplary for you?

​Read Matthew 5:43-44.  To what extent do you believe Psalm 83 fulfills Jesus' teaching in those verses from Matthew.

Assuming that we all, from time to time, have enemies, what do you learn from the author of Psalm 83 about how to pray for and about one's enemies?

Pray for and about your enemies just now. 
Psalm 84
Read Psalm 84.  In this prayer, the Psalmist expresses longing and love for the Lord's house. As you read the Psalm, watch for clues as to how you would answer these questions:
  • What is special about the Lord's house?
  • Why does the Psalmist long for it?
  • What does the Psalmist love about it?
​
Make a list of a half-dozen places that you love. 
  • What has made those places special to you?
  • What do you feel when you are (or when you have been) away from those places?

To what extent and in what ways is the Lord's house a place that you love?

To what extent and in what ways has the Lord's house been a place for which you have longed?
​
Talk to the Lord about the places you love, about the places you long for, and about His house.

Psalm 84 is very much about "place." The place that is the centerpiece of the Psalm, of course, is the Lord's house, but it is not the only place mentioned. Make a list of all the other places that are mentioned or implied in the Psalm.
  • What does each place connote?
  • What characterizes each place?
  • Who occupies each place?
  • What role does each place play in the Psalm in relation to the Lord's house?

Focus your attention on those whom the Psalmist identifies as "happy" or "blessed."
  • Who are they?
  • What do they do? 
  • What is it that makes them "happy" or "blessed"?
  • To what extent or in what ways do you resemble them? 
​
Read verse 3 in a variety of translations. What do you understand to be the Psalmist's meaning in this verse? How do you understand it in relation to the rest of the Psalm?

The Psalmist makes statements about what is "better" and what he would "rather" regarding the house of the Lord. At different stages of your life, what have your choices said is "better" and you would "rather"? 

The Psalmist uses several different names and titles for God in Psalm 84. Make a list of those names and titles. What does each one connote to you? Which ones are part of your own prayer life?  If some are not, why not?

Read verse 11 in several translations. Once you have a sense for the meaning of the verse, rewrite it in your own words as your own expression of faith. 

Now take your rewritten version of verse 11 and change it from something you say about the Lord to something you say to the Lord.  Turn your version of verse 11 into a prayer. 

Now that you have reflected on it at length and in some detail, talk to the Lord about Psalm 84.  What are your takeaways?  How is it exemplary?  In what particulars does the Psalmist teach you how to pray in Psalm 84?
* We will refer to the author as “the Psalmist,” though of course not all of the Psalms were written by the same person. A significant number are attributed to David. Others are associated with Asaph, the sons of Korah, and an assortment of other individuals. Also, several dozen Psalms have no name attached to them.  For the sake of ease and uniformity, we will simply refer to “the Psalmist.”