WEEK 47

psalms this week
"God's command to 'pray without ceasing' is founded on the necessity we have of His grace to preserve the life of God in the soul, which can no more subsist one moment without it, than the body can without air."
     - John Wesley 
​Psalms 133, 134, and 135

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 133
Psalm 134
Psalm 135
Read Psalm 133.  This brief Psalm is not, strictly speaking, a prayer inasmuch as the Psalmist does not seem to be addressing himself to God. Yet the Lord is clearly on the Psalmist's mind. 
  • Identify the words, themes, or images in the Psalm that suggest the Psalmist's awareness  of God. 
  • What do those words, themes, or images suggest about the author's understanding of God?
  • What do you understand to be the relationship between the Lord and the theme of the Psalm?   

Psalm 133 consists of just three verses, and those three verses represent three different parts. The first verse is a declarative statement.  The second verse is a simile or image to illustrate the declarative statement. And the third verse is another simile or image also to illustrate the initial statement of verse 1.  
  • Reflecting on the statement in verse 1, think of several examples in Scripture where a group of people were marked by unity. Then think about several where a group of people were not.  Talk to the Lord about the causes and effects involved.
  • Reflecting on the statement in verse 1, think of several examples from your own life experience of a group of people who were marked by unity.  Then think of several who were not.  Talk to the Lord about the causes and effects involved. 
  • Similes and picturesque language can be highly evocative, but they are also a matter of personal taste and experience.  Reflect on verse 2, and summarize what feelings you believe the Psalmist was trying to convey.
  • Reflect on the imagery of verse 3, and summarize what feelings you believe the Psalmist was trying to convey. 
​
If you were writing the Psalm, and you sought to create similes or images to illustrate the statement of verse 1, what would you write?

Read verse 1 in a variety of translations in order to get a full sense of what the Psalmist is saying.  Then:
  • Why is the experience described by the Psalmist so desirable? 
  • To what extent do you believe it reflects the Lord's will?  Why?
  • Where are you experiencing it?  Thank the Lord.
  • Where are you lacking it?  Talk to the Lord about it.  Pray for it.  Pray about your role in it.
Read Psalm 134.  Because this Psalm is so very short, read the entire thing in several different translations in order to gain a fuller appreciation for its meaning.

While verse 3 focuses on the activity of the Lord, the first two verses  focus on the activity of the human addressees.
  • Make a list of the verbs in verses 1-2 that capture the activities of those human addressees.
  • Envision each of those verbs being acted out.  If you are so inclined, draw pictures of each one.
  • To what extent should any or all of those verbs apply to you?  Talk to the Lord about them, one by one.

Interestingly, the same verb is used in verse 2 and verse 3, though in the first case it is what the human beings are to do to the Lord, while in the second case it is what the Lord is asked to do to human beings.  The word is typically translated "bless." 
  • What synonyms would you use for "bless" if you had to rewrite either verse in your own words?
  • When you think of the Lord blessing people, what do you imagine that looks like?  Make a quick and varied list.
  • Review the list just made, and see if it could also be applied to verse 2.  That is to say, to what extent does it look the same for a human being to bless the Lord as for the Lord to bless a human being?
  • When you think of a human being blessing, what do you imagine that looks like? Make a quick and varied list.
  • Review the list just made, and compare it to the previous list. What similarities do you see that help to explain how the same word can be applied to both sets of actions?

Though the Psalm is only three verses long, we observe that places play a significant role. 
  • List the places mentioned.
  • What do you perceive to be the meaning or significance for the Psalmist that is conveyed by each?
  • To what extent is there meaning or significance of each place for you?

Psalm 134 concludes with a certain affirmation about who the Lord is. 
  • What do you perceive to be the significance of that affirmation for the Psalmist?
  • To what extent does it have the same significance for you? ​ 
Read Psalm 135. As you read, imagine that this Psalm represents your introduction to the word "praise." You have never heard or seen it before, and you have no idea what it means. You are told, however, that this Psalm is "praise."  Accordingly, as you read and reflect on each verse:
  • What do you discover about the subject of praise?
  • What do you learn about the tone of praise?
  • What all is included in the content of praise?
  • What do you perceive to be the motivation for praise?
  • What do you understand to be the purpose of praise?  
  • Who are the addressees of praise?

Having made it an exercise to learn about praise from Psalm 135, reflect now on your own life of prayer and praise.
  • If someone studied your prayers, would they discover the same things about praise as you did in Psalm 135?  What is missing from the Psalm that is present in your prayer life?  What is missing from your prayer life that is present in the Psalm.
  • Talk to the Lord about the ways that your experience and expression of praise might be broadened and deepened.
  • Spend some time right now praising Him.

The author of Psalm 135 praises the Lord for both His deeds and His attributes.  As you read again the Psalm:
  • Make a list of the deeds of the Lord that the Psalmist references. 
  • Make a list of the attributes of God that are explicit or strongly implicit in the text.

Reflecting on the lists just made:
  • To what extent does each one resonate with your experience of God? 
  • To what extent does each one play a role in your praise? 

The deeds of the Lord mentioned are all taken from Israel's history:
  • To what extent do those deeds of the Lord, which have no direct impact on your life, still have relevance for you and for your faith?
  • What do they tell you about Him?
  • If you were to list is a personal Psalm of praise a half-dozen things that the Lord has done from your own life experience, what would be on that list?
  • Talk to the Lord about the items on that list.  Let them be for you a call to praise. 

As the Psalmist reflects on the greatness of the Lord, he make comparisons between the Lord and other gods. 
  • Make a list of the identified differences.
  • Reflect on that list and jot down next to each the implications of each difference.

Verse 15b points out that the other gods people worship are "the work of human hands" (ESV).  
  • To what extent do you think that has been true of other gods throughout human history?
  • To what extent do you think that remains true about other gods today?
  • What do you imagine was (is) the appeal of worshipping that which is "the work of human hands"?

​Read verse 13 in a variety of translations in order to get a full sense of the meaning. 

Rewrite verse 13 in your own words, making it your own expression of praise. 
* 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.”