Using The Psalms

Introduction

Well, good morning. As a congregation, we have suggested a Bible reading for this year, and that Bible reading, of course, comes from the Psalms. Uh and not asking for a show of hands, but how many are engaged in that Bible reading and how many are on schedule? It’s easier to keep the schedule this year than in maybe previous times because here we are at the end of January. A whole month has transpired. And if you’re on schedule, you read through Psalm twelve. And so even if you haven’t even started, you can get caught up this afternoon. Twelve psalms. That’s all we’ve read so far. Remember, one of the goals of this style of annual Bible reading is so that you can dig a little deeper into the text rather than just reading on a rapid pace to get through the entire Bible in a year, that you can slow down.

And not just slow down for speed’s sake, but so that you might spend some time in the text. And to help you to that end, Greg and I, throughout the year, we’ll be drawing some lessons from the Psalms. And as you might can guess, that’s what we want to do this morning. In fact, I’ll ask you, if you will, to turn in your Bibles to the book of Psalms. And I want to use where we are in the schedule so far as kind of a textbook for what we’re wanting to do in this Bible reading. And so we’re going to look at the first twelve Psalms and use them as a guideline for using the Psalms in this purpose, and using the Psalms for the particular purpose of gaining a closer walk with God.

And I think we can do that in at least three ways. You know, we begin really ask ourselves the question, why the book of Psalm? Really, why is this book even in the Bible? And not just in the Bible, but it’s the largest book of the Bible. But have you ever contemplated why do we have an obsolete song book in our Bible? It’s a song book that was used and a method of worship that is no longer used today. And so why is this book here? And of what benefit is it to me and to you as New Testament Christians that are worshiping God in the fullest sense in spirit and in truth. But I think we can see that the Psalms serve many purposes for us today, and one of those purposes is to help us gain a closer walk with God.

1. The Psalms Bring Us to Know God

One way that we can use the Psalms and this Bible reading in the Psalms is that the Psalms, when properly used, can bring us to know God. God reveals Himself in the most fullest sense through His Word. And the Psalms certainly do that. And one of our goals, in fact, I would argue a primary goal of Bible study ought to be this: to know God. I fear that sometimes I, maybe you use our Bible studies as just kind of reading to find out as an instruction book. Reading to find out what I’m supposed to do and what I’m not supposed to do. And certainly there is that. But if we just do that without really knowing the God who has commanded us how to live our lives, we’ve missed the point.

And probably miss the objective of doing what God has told us to do and not what He’s told us not to do.

To get us to know God. Because you see, God doesn’t want these disconnected task bearers. God wants fellowship. God wants communion. God wants a connection with his obedient followers. And the Psalms can do that. Look with me in Psalm. Look at Psalm 2. Psalm 2 speaks of the undefeatable power of God to accomplish his purposes. Look at Psalm 2, beginning in verse 1. Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. Yet he who sets in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision, then he shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure.

Yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. You see, when we read the scriptures, when we read the Psalms, we learn about God. We learn here that God is going to accomplish His purposes no matter what. And you see what that gains for us, that should gain for us the motivation to want to be on the side of God. Because God is going to do and accomplish his will. And so should I not get on board with that will and be one of his people.

Look at Psalm 3, beginning in verse 3. But you, O Lord, are a shield for me. My glory and the one who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and he heard me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept. I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. You see, we learned in Psalm 2 of the undefeatable power of God, and now in the third Psalm, we read that He’ll use that power to uphold and to sustain us. And so we’ve accomplished two things already. We’ve learned some things about this God whom we should serve. And we’ve learned the benefit in serving Him.

We’ve gained the motivation now to take the other things that we learn from Bible study and to put them into practice. But to do so with the right, sustaining motivation. Look further as we read the Psalm. Psalm 8 tells us about God. It speaks of His majesty that’s demonstrated in His creative works. Psalm 8, beginning in verse 3. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained. What is man? What is man that you’re mindful of him, and the Son of Man that you visit him? For you’ve made him a little lower than the angels and have crowned him with glory and honor. You see, as we read, we know more and more about God. And as we grow in our appreciation and our understanding from Him, of Him, then almost a natural result of that is we will grow in our service and our obedience.

If you want to be a better Christian, if you want to be a more active child of God, know more about God. Introduce, reintroduce yourself to Him through the reading of the Psalms, and I’m going to tell you, it will make you a better Christian. It will motivate you to be a more dedicated and active servant of God. Psalm 11 tells us something about God. Psalm 11 tells of his absolute righteousness in which we put our trust. Look over in chapter 11, or Psalm 11, excuse me. Psalm 11, verse 3. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold. His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous.

But the wicked and the one who loves violence, his soul hates. Upon the wicked, he will rain coals, fire and brimstone, and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous.

We study the scriptures, we read the Psalms because they bring us to know God. And the more you know about God, the more you know God, the better you’ll be.

2. The Psalms Teach Us to Pray

Open up your Bibles and your daily Bible reading with this thought in mind. I want to know more about Him. Tell me who you are, God. Teach me of you. And that can be accomplished through our Bible reading through the study of the Psalms. Another thing that the Psalms can do to bring us closer to God is that they teach us to pray. I imagine if we took a survey of this congregation and we said, How many of you would like to be better at praying? How many of you would like to improve your prayer life? Don’t you imagine that the overwhelming majority, if not everybody, would say yes. I want to be better at that. I want to improve my prayer life. I want to make it more meaningful.

Well, if you answered in the affirmative to that survey question, then I recommend the Psalms to you. If you really want to learn how to pray to God, what better place than the Psalms? Because so many of the Psalms are prayers. And so what we have here is an inspired tutorial on prayer. Look, just in these first twelve Psalms. Look in chapter 3. Or excuse me, Psalm 3. The third Psalm, verse 1, Lord, how they have increased who trouble me. Many are they who rise up against me. Is that not a prayer? Is not the petitioner speaking and communicating and asking of God, Lord, how they have increased who trouble me. Psalm 4, verse 1. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Is that not a prayer?

Psalm 5, verse 1, give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my king and my God, for to you I will pray. My voice you shall hear in the morning, O Lord. In the morning I will direct it to you, I will look up. Psalm 6. O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor chastise me in your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak. O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord, how long? And then chapter, or excuse me, Psalm 12, verse 1. Psalm 12, verse 1, help, Lord, for the godly man ceases, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

In just the first 12 Psalms, we found numerous examples of the psalmist crying out to God. That is prayer. And so if you wonder how should I pray? How does God want me to express myself? What better place than to go to an inspired book of prayer to say, this is how I should express myself to God. Because you see, the Psalms are songs. They are poetry. And one of the great benefits of songs and poetry, is it not, is that they often allow us to say what we would say if we were more eloquent. In the whole industry built around that premise, the greeting card industry. That you go and you find a card with a poem in it that says what you would say if you were a poet.

And so you take this card that you’ve carefully selected to express better than you could express yourself, your sentiment, and down at the bottom of it, you put your name on it as if you wrote those words and spoke them yourself. Because they’re expressing your thoughts and emotions.

As prayers, they can help us express what we want to express. And what we see in the Psalms also is that other people have been in the same situations in which we find ourselves. That’s helpful. I’m not the only one struggling with this problem. I’m not the only one who has those thoughts and maybe even those doubts in my mind. There’s a whole scholars have categorized the psalms into different types of categories. And one of those, in fact, it might surprise us, the largest category of psalms are not psalms of praise. The largest category of psalms, if we try to categorize them by their theme, the largest category is psalms of lament. A psalm of lament is just a psalm that says, Woe is me. Please, God hear my cry.

And we learn that other people have gone through those same problems. And the Psalms of Lament, which often are psalms of prayer to God, invite us to join in the experience, the feelings, and the prayers of others who suffer terribly.

And how to express that to God. Look at the sixth Psalm. Which is a psalm of lament. Written, the heading tells us, written by David. And if you study the life of David, you can find some times in his life that you might think he probably wrote it here when he was going through this. But you can also take Psalm 6 and other similar Psalms of Lament and find times in your own life in which this Psalm could have been written. O Lord.

Nor chasten me in your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O Lord. For I am weak. O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, deliver me. Oh, save me for your mercy’s sake. For in death there’s no remembrance of you. In the grave, who will give you thanks? I’m weary with my groaning. All night I make my bed swim. I drench my couch with my tears. My eye waste away because of grief. It grows old because of all of my enemies. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity? For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication. The Lord will receive my prayer.

Let all of my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled. Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly. Can’t you do two things when you read that psalm? Can’t you identify some point in David’s life that this psalm corresponds to? In which he could have been feeling these deep emotions and crying out for help to his God. And can’t you also in your own history find a time in which I could have signed my name to that point? If you haven’t suffered like that, bless your young life, because you will.

Okay to question God? Is it okay to ask Him why is this happening to me? Is it okay to cry out, God, why don’t you do something? The Psalms help us in that experience. Because as uncomfortable as it might be to ask those questions of God in our prayers, I’m going to tell you it’s far more dangerous to allow those feelings and those doubts to fester and to sour. The psalmist lets us express them. It tells us that it’s okay. It shows us how to reverentially, respectfully, approach God with questions and doubts. These psalms of lament prove a personal relationship between the petitioner and his God. Because you would not voice those words or share those thoughts with a mere acquaintance.

And the psalms also teach us revel in that in these moments of lament, there is really rather than abject statements of doubt and distrust, they are to the contrary, grand expressions of trust. Why are they going to God with such doubts and concerns? Because they know He can answer those prayers. These Psalms of lament so often follow a pattern of lament to praise. Did you see that in Psalm 6? He cries out, Oh Lord, how long? Why won’t you answer my prayer? And then he concludes by saying, The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord will receive my prayer. It’s an expression of trust to be able to go to God and say, God, I don’t know why this is happening. Please hear my prayer.

In my moments of deep distress, it’s so difficult to know how to express our feelings. In our complaints, we yearn for an object. Someone to scream at. And these Psalms teach us how to articulate our hurt. And turn them over to God.

3. How the People of God Should Praise Him

Another thing that we struggle how to put into words is how can I express my profound love, appreciation, and trust in God. I don’t have the words. Yes, you do. They don’t have to be your words. You can co-op the words of the psalms. Because they express praise. How did Moses respond to God’s deliverance of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt? He sang a psalm. How did David express his thankfulness for God delivering him from his enemies and from Saul? He wrote a hymn of praise. How do the psalmists deal with these issues? How do they express their praise? Through the psalm.

Our songs in our song books are just old testament psalms of praise. And the ones that aren’t are still psalms of praise. Singing the Psalms allows us to proclaim the words of God and let them dwell richly within us. And according to Colossians 3, verse 16, that’s what we’re supposed to do. Quickly, let’s look at these Psalms. Psalm 3. Again, verses 3 and 4. But you, O Lord, you, O Lord, are a shield for me. My glory, and the one who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and he heard me from his holy hill. Psalm 5, verse 11, but let those rejoice who put their trust in you, let them ever shout for joy, because you defend them. Let those who love your name be joyful to you.

Psalm 7, verse 17, I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness. I am sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

I will sing praise to your name, O Lord Most High. And to give you a preview of next week’s reading, look at Psalm 13, verses 5 and 6. But I’ve trusted in your mercy.

Conclusion

They bring us to know God. They teach us how to pray, even in our hurt. And they show us how the people of God should praise Him. Let us pray. Our dearest God and Almighty Father who art in heaven. We’re so thankful that you’re our God, so powerful and loving. We’re so thankful, Father, that you hear our petitions, our prayers, and accept our praise. Help us, Father, to know you better. Help us to know how to pour out our hearts in anguish and in praise to you. Guide us through your word that we might be who and what you would have us to be. Draw us closer to you. Closer to your will, closer to your way. Thank you, Lord, for your word for these psalms that teach us so much about us and you and how we ought to deal with you.

Thank you for your love. Thank you for hearing our prayer and our praise.

Amen. We’ll now be dismissed to our classes.