Tag: Psalms
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Reflecting on Psalm 100
How often do we ourselves “shout for joy” to God? This is one of the questions we might ask ourselves as we are studying Psalm 100 for Sunday, October 3 – World Communion Sunday, for people who pay attention to those ecclesial things. [Here’s some history, and here’s a critique of the World Communion Sunday…
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Promise
The dullard cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this: though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever, but you, YHWH, are on high forever. Psalm 92:6-8
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Second Sunday of Easter
The HOLY ONE is my chosen portion, and my cup;you hold my lot.The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;I have a goodly heritage.…You show me the path of life.In your presence there is fullness of joy;in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.Psalm 16:5, 6, 11
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – 1 Chronicles 16
We are studying 1 Chronicles 16 (more specifically, 1 Chronicles 16:8-12, 19-27) for Sunday, December 8. This is the Chronicler’s glance back at the worship that accompanied David’s installation of the Ark of God in the tent he had prepared for it in Jerusalem. [A few notes on the text are here.] Here are some…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Psalm 91
We are studying Psalm 91 for Sunday, February 24. Psalm 91 is a popular “favorite psalm” of human trust and divine assurance. [Study notes on this text.] Here are a few questions we might want to consider as we study and discuss the text: Verse 1 evokes an image of place and stability: “living” or…
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Study Notes – Psalm 91
We are studying Psalm 91 for Sunday, February 27 – a popular psalm of trust in God’s protection. [Study questions for this text.] Here are my notes on the text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: This is the last in our three-week study of psalms, a book of the Bible that has been called “the hymnal of…
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Study Notes – Psalm 66
We are studying Psalm 66 for Sunday, February 17. Psalm 66 is a song of praise to God for God’s mighty works. [Study questions on Psalm 66 are here.] Here are my notes on this text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: Again, all things we know about Psalms will help us in reading Psalm 66. These are…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Psalm 48
We are studying Psalm 48 for Sunday, February 10. Psalm 48 is one of the “songs of Zion,” psalms that praise the city of Jerusalem and by extension the God worshipped in that ancient city. [Study notes are here.] Here are a few questions we might want to consider as we think about and discuss…
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Study Notes – Psalm 48
We are studying Psalm 48 for Sunday, February 10. The psalm extols Zion as the symbol of God’s (YHWH’s) greatness and guidance. [Study questions on the text are here.] Here are my notes on the text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: Psalm 48 is one of the psalms – that is, one of the musical, liturgical texts…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Psalm 103
For those of us studying Psalm 103 for Sunday, December 16, here are a few questions we might want to think about before or in class: The Psalmist begins by saying “Bless YHWH, O my soul …” (v1). What mood do we hear in the Psalmist’s words? (e.g., Exuberant? Happy? Grateful, as if having just…
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Study Notes – Psalm 103
The Uniform Series text we are studying for Sunday, December 16 is Psalm 103. Here are my notes on this text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: The book of Psalms is a collection of songs or hymns of thanks and praise, and of prayers. Sometimes referred to as “the hymnbook of the 2nd Temple” – that is,…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Psalm 34
One of the Uniform Series texts for Sunday, May 27 is Psalm 34:1-10. Here are some questions on the text that might be worth thinking about or discussing in class: What, if anything, are we to make of the notation “By David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech …” etc.? (We could compare…
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Notes on Psalm 34
One of the Uniform Series texts for Sunday, May 27 is Psalm 34:1-10, the exuberant beginning of this “wisdom” psalm. Here are my notes on that text:
Matters of Interpretation 