WEEK 52

psalms this week
"Confessing is not the same as lamenting. Perhaps we deprive ourselves of in-depth cleansing because we only confess our sins, but do not lament them."
     - G. Hassell Bullock 
​Psalms 148, 149, and 150

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 148
Psalm 149
Psalm 150
Read Psalm 148.  As this is a Psalm of praise, take again a journalistic approach to praise. Consider these basic questions: Who, where, when, how, and why.
  • Who. We know that it is the Lord who is to be praised, but how specifically is He identified in the Psalm?
  • Who. Who should praise the Lord?
  • Where. Where should the praise of the Lord occur?
  • When. When does it seem that the Lord is to be praised?
  • How. What do you perceive about how the Lord is to be praised?
  • Why. What are the reasons or causes or motivations for praising the Lord? 

The answers to "who" should praise the Lord is notably broad in Psalm 148. Go through the list, and for each one:
  • What do you understand to be the significance of the Psalmist including it?
  • What does it reveal about the particular "who"?
  • What does it reveal about the Lord?

Reflecting on your answers above:
  • How does your own experience of praise match with the author's view of when and where and how? Talk to the Lord about you and praise. 
  • How does your own experience of praise resonate with the reasons why that are implicit or explicit in Psalm 148?

Read verse 13 in a variety of translations in order to get a full sense of the meaning.  Then:
  • Rewrite the verse in your own words.
  • What do you understand to be the significance of the name of the Lord in this verse?  In general?
  • What is the relationship between the two references to the name of the Lord in this verse? 
  • What is your experience of praising the name of the Lord?

Psalm 148 spends less time identifying deeds or works of the Lord than some other Psalms of praise do.
  • Make a list of the deeds or actions that are attributed to the Lord in this Psalm?
  • For each item on the list, express what that deed or act of God reveals about Him.
  • For each item on the list, identify what that deed or act of God becomes a reason for you also to praise Him?
  • For each item on the list, to what extent does that deed or act of God resonate with your own personal experience? 

The author of Psalm 148 is not only making affirmations about the Lord, he is calling upon all sorts of people, creatures, and being to join in praise.  Thinking of the list of "who" should praise the Lord:
  • What business does the Psalmist have in calling on that particular "who" to praise the Lord?
  • What do you believe motivates the Psalmist to call upon all of these beings to praise the Lord?
  • In what ways is the author of Psalm 148 exemplary for you? 

Having given thoughtful consideration to all of the "whos" in Psalm 148, carry the list with you the next time you leave your house. 
  • As you go through the day, keep an eye on the list, and make a mental note of each time you see someone or something on that list. 
  • Ask yourself why that person or thing  should be praising the Lord. 
  • Ask the Lord whether you are meant to play the role of the Psalmist in encouraging those around you to praise the Lord. 
​
Read verse 14 in a variety of translations in order to get a full sense of the meaning.
  • What do you understand to be the nature of the relationship between the Lord and His people as reflected in verse 14?
  • What does verse 14 have to do with you?
Read Psalm 149.  Once again, we want to help ourselves reflect on this Psalm of praise by taking what we are calling the journalistic approach: who, where, when, how, and why.
  • Who. Again, we recognize that it is the Lord who is to be praised. How is He specifically identified in this particular Psalm of praise?
  • Who. What does the author of this Psalm reveal about who should praise the Lord?
  • Where. Does Psalm 149 give any indication of where the Lord is to be praised?'
  • When. What insight do you gain from this Psalm about when the Lord is to be praised?
  • How. What do you learn from this Psalm about how the Lord is to be praised? 
  • Why. Perhaps the most significant detail of all in a Psalm of praise is the answer to why. In other words, what is the motivation or rationale for praising the Lord? 

Reflecting now on your answers to the questions above, talk to the Lord about your experience and practice of praise vis-a-vis what you learn from Psalm 149.

Verse 2 (ESV) identifies the Lord as the people's "Maker" and "King."
  • Jot down a brief definition that reflects your understanding of what each word means.
  • What does each word reveal to you about the Lord?
  • What does each word imply about you and your relationship to Him?
  • What makes each word good news?
  • What tends to be the world's reaction to those two terms?
  • Talk to the Lord about your answers to the last two questions.
  • What is it about "Maker" and "King" that is a cause for praise? 

​Verse 4 is the only one in this particular Psalm that explicitly identifies what God does.
  • Read verse 4 in a variety of translations in order to gain a full sense for the meaning.
  • With insight into the meaning and sense of the words in verse 4, rewrite it in your own words.
  • What evidence do you see in Scripture of the Lord doing the things mentioned in verse 4?
  • What evidence do you see in your own life of the Lord doing the things mentioned in verse 4?
​
Read verse 6 in a variety of translations in order to gain a full sense of the meaning.  Verse 6 serves as a sort of watershed within Psalm 149. The first half of the verse fits naturally with what precedes it. The second half of the verse fits with what follows it.  In your judgment and understanding, to what extent does the first half of verse 6 fit with the second half of verse 6?

Focusing on the first five verses of Psalm 149:
  • How would you describe the role or task of the people of God in verses 1-5?
  • Who in Scripture seems to embody that role description?
  • To what extent do you believe that is an appropriate understanding and characterization of the role or task of the people of God?
  • To what extent do you understand that to be your role or task in terms of God's will for you?

Focusing on verses 6-9 of Psalm 149:
  • How would you describe the role or task of the people of God in verses 6-9?
  • Who in Scripture seems to embody that role description?
  • To what extent do you believe that is an appropriate understanding and characterization of the role or task of the people of God?
  • To what extent do you understand that to be your role or task in terms of God's will for you?

Talk to the Lord about the relationship between verses 1-5, on the one hand, and verses 6-9, on the other.
​Read Psalm 150. The concluding Psalm in the entire collection is, appropriately, a Psalm of praise.  Once more, let us begin by thinking through the Psalm carefully using the pertinent journalist's questions:
  • Who -- either explicitly or implicitly -- is to praise the Lord?
  • Where is the Lord to be praised?
  • Where is the Lord to be praised?
  • How is the Lord to be praised?
  • Why is the Lord to be praised?

​Read verse 2 in a variety of translations in order to gain a full sense for the meaning. Then:
  • Rewrite the verse in your own words.
  • The Psalmist invites us in this verse to praise the Lord for two kinds of things.  The first is "His mighty deeds" (ESV). With the additional insight into this verse gained from reading it in several translations, make a list of ten of "His mighty deeds" in Scripture.
  • Reflecting on that list, what does each item reveal about Him?
  • Meditating on that list, praise Him for His mighty deeds. 
  • With the additional insight into this verse gained from reading it in several translations, make a list of ten of "His mighty deeds" in your own life and experience.
  • Reflecting on that list, what does each item reveeal about Him?
  • Meditating on that list, praise Him for His mighty deeds.
  • The Psalmist invites us in this verse to praise the Lord for  two kinds of  things. The second is "His excellent greatness" (ESV). With the additional insight into this verse gained from reading it in several translations, jot down what you understand to be "His excellent greatness."
  • Meditating on what you have written, praise Him according to "His excellent greatness." 

Verses 3-5 suggest a musical ensemble, as well as dance:
  • As you reflect on these verses, imagine what the Psalmist was envisioning.  What do you imagine it looked like?  What do you imagine it sounded like?
  • What is your experience of the relationship between music and praise?
  • How might music be a more significant and meaningful part of your praise?
  • To what extent do you understand it to be a part of your calling to make music to the Lord in praise?
  • What do you suppose was the significance of dance in the Psalmist's mind?
  • To what extent do you understand it to be a part of your calling to dance before the Lord in praise?

The invitation or command to praise occurs 13 times in this brief Psalm.  All but one of them (the first occurrence in verse 6) is written in the plural.  
  • To what extent do you understand the grammar of the Psalm to be indicating that everyone should praise the Lord?
  • To what extent do you understand the grammar of the Psalm to be indicating  that everyone should praise the Lord together?
  • Talk to the Lord about your experience of praising Him privately.
  • Talk to the Lord about your experience of praising Him with others. 

Read Matthew 12:28-30.

Praise and love typically go together. 
  • To what extent does the Psalmist help you to understand what it is to love the Lord with all of your heart?
  • To what extent does the Psalmist help you to understand what it is to love the Lord with all of your soul?
  • To what extent does the Psalmist help you to understand what it is to love the Lord your God with all of your mind?
  • To what extent does the Psalmist help you to understand what it is to love the Lord with all of your strength?

Talk to the Lord about what the Psalmist teaches you about praise.

Praise the Lord!
* 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.”