WEEK 37 |
psalms this week |
"There is no better thing than to pray for what God already wants to give." |
Psalms 109, 110, and 111
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introduction to the Series
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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
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Psalm 109
Read Psalm 109. The author of this Psalm spends much of his prayer listing the mistreatment he is suffering at the hands of others. This may not be as inspiring to read as those Psalms that itemize praise or thanksgiving. Yet it is a real-life prayer, and as such it has great value for us. As you read, make a list of the attributes -- explicit or implicit -- of those who seem to the the opponents of the Psalmist.
Review the list of attributes just made. What should a person say to God about such people? To what extent is it right to pray for the Lord's aid against such people? Now make a list of the things that the author of Psalm 109 says that those people do or try to do. Review the list just made.
Review the list again.
Review the Psalm with a focus on the plea element. That is to say, what is it that the Psalmist is asking the Lord to do? Make a list. Review the list just made.
Much of Psalm 109 is devoted to praying that bad things will happen to certain people. We may be acquainted with the underlying experience and feelings, but we may not be acquainted with this sort of praying. We do not hear other people pray like this. We do not sing hymns or other Christian songs that sound like this.
Clearly the Psalmist's relationship with adversaries is not the only -- not even the most important -- relationship reflected in this Psalm. Read the Psalm again, focusing especially on the relationship between the Psalmist and the Lord. Based on what you are able to infer from just a snapshot:
How might this particular Psalm inform your own prayer life? |
Psalm 110
Read Psalm 110. This Psalm is a quite different type of Psalm than most that we have encountered so far this year. It is not at all a prayer in the classic sense of being personally addressed to God. Yet God is clearly one of the central figures in the Psalm. In order to reflect on it carefully, therefore, let us begin by distinguishing between the persons involved in Psalm 110. Specifically, verse 1 suggests two: "the LORD" and "my Lord."
As a first step, create a list of all of the words and actions which seem to be attributed to "the LORD" in the Psalm. Review the list just made:
Now read the Psalm with a focus on the second person indicated. Make a list of any words or actions which seem to be attributed to "my Lord" in the Psalm. Reflect on the list just made:
Read Genesis 14:`17-20. Without overthinking it, and based on these verses from Genesis alone, make a list of what things you know about Melchizedek. The aforementioned verses from Genesis contain all that the Scripture says about Melchizedek until Psalm 110. Based on the list just made, what do you suppose was the meaning and significance of Melchizedek to the Psalmist? How does the passage from Genesis help you to read and understand Psalm 110 better? Read Matthew 22:41-46. Based on your reading of Jesus' words:
How does Matthew 21:41-46 help you to read and understand Psalm 110 better? Read Hebrews chapters 5 and 7.
Having read and reflected now on four additional passages beyond Psalm 110, take what you have learned from Genesis 14, Matthew 21, Hebrews 5, and Hebrews 7, and revisit the lists you originally made about "my Lord."
In the end, talk to the Lord about what Psalm 110 reveals to you about Jesus. |
Psalm 111
Read Psalm 111. As verse 1 indicates, Psalm 111 is clearly a Psalm of praise. In other such Psalms we have encountered this year, we have been careful to identify the "reasons why" -- i.e., the expressed rationale for praising the Lord. This Psalm is comprised almost entirely of the reasons why. Our endeavor, therefore, is to reflect on those reasons and learn from them.
As a first step, simply make a list. Imagine that someone asks the Psalmist, "Why are you praising the Lord?" Make a bulleted list of how you believe the author of Psalm 111 would answer that question. Review the list just made.
Review the list again.
Review the list once again. Evaluate it in terms of types. How would you categorize the different reasons that the Psalmist gives for praising the Lord? Reflect prayerfully on the categorization exercise just completed. Consider your own prayer life and your own experience of praising the Lord.
Read verse 2 in several translations. Once you have a sense for the meaning of the verse:
Once again, as we have seen in some previous Psalms, the Psalmist is deliberate not only about saying that he will praise the Lord but specifically about where he will praise Him. Reflect on verse 1, and talk to the Lord about the importance and significance of praising Him in certain settings and certain company. Read verse 10 in several translations. Having given thoughtful attention to the rest of the Psalm, what do you understand to be the relationship between the rest of the Psalm and its concluding verse? Why does the author of the Psalm end the way that he does? Our endeavor and goal during this year is to learn how to pray from the Psalmist. In what ways does the author of Psalm 111 teach you how to pray? |
* 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.”