Psalms Anyone?
Psalm 1, Psalm 150
April 19, 2015
Grace Presbyterian
Church
Rev. Dr. Richard
E. Miller
The Psalms This morning
I invite you to join me in a journey through the psalms. There’s 150 of them so
we won’t have time to visit each of them. However, it is my hope that when we
leave, we’ll have a deeper appreciation for those who wrote them and realize
that they were people just like us - with the same problems, same hopes, and
same joys that we have today.
To start, I invite you complete the
following sentences from the psalms. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not
____,” [Psalm 23:1] God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
_______. [Psalm 46:1] “The heavens
declare the glory of ____” [Psalm 19]. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a
light for my ____.” [Psalm 119:115] “Be still, and know that I am ____” [Psalm
46:10] “The faithfulness of the Lord endures for _____.” [Psalm 117]
Of all the psalms, which is your
favorite? Many of you would say the 23rd Psalm. Others might say the 100th. But
the fact is that all of the psalms have something to offer.
Meaning of the Psalms A little background on the psalms might
be helpful at this point. The Old Testament is divided into the Torah, the
first five books of the Bible, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Psalter is
part the Writings.
Psalm comes from a word meaning, “A touching sharply” and “A pulling or twanging with the
fingers.”
Originally, it meant primarily a stringed instrument, but by association of
ideas it came to mean the song sung to the accompaniment of stringed
instruments. Thus, the psalms are called Songs of Praise to God. In a way, they
are religious poems containing the words of humans directed to God.
Purpose of the Psalms
The
psalms were used in different ways, such as liturgy in the Temple, to instruct
people how to live a godly life, and as private prayers of lament and praise. Ninety-three different passages from the Psalms are
quoted in the New Testament. And many of
our our hymns contain thoughts from specific psalms.
Psalm One We read this
morning the first and last psalms in our psalter. The first psalm serves as a
prologue or introduction to the other 149 psalms and falls into two sections.
The first three verses describes the joy of those who feed on the law of the
Lord. The final three verses describe the fate of the wicked. The psalm begins,
“Happy are those who do not follow the
advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat
of scoffers”
[Psalm 1:1 NRSV] Today we’d translate
this as “Happy are those who don’t
run around with the wrong crowd.” or “Happy are those who refuse to follow bad
advice.”
The psalmist then states that a person
happy is when he delights in the law of the Lord and meditates upon the law day
and night. To meditate in the Hebrew sense means almost literally to feed upon
God’s word at all times. Today we’d say, “Happy
are those who read the scriptures and listen for all that God would say to
them.”
Those who meditate on the scriptures
are likened to a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its
season. Its leaf does not wither. That is to say, they are constantly nourished
and strengthened by God’s Spirit and enabled to face whatever challenges that
come their way.
Psalm 150 Now let us
turn to the last psalm in our psalter, the 150th
.
While the first psalm talked about the happiness of a good person contrasted
with the lot of the wicked, the 150th psalm concludes
the psalter with a doxology of praise to God. In this psalm, four questions are
asked and answered. Where should we
praise God? Why should we praise God? How should we praise God? And by whom
should praise be given?
Where we should praise God The
psalmist says, “Praise the Lord! Praise God
in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!” In a few minutes,
we will sing: “Praise God from whom all
blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below Praise him above, ye
heav’nly host. Praise Father, son and Holy Ghost.” And when we go
home, our praise will continue in our prayers, private devotions and as we
experience the wonders of nature. The psalmist states that all of creation,
including the angels and saints in heaven, unite with us in shouts of thanks
and gladness to God. This means that those of our loved ones who have been
resurrected to eternal life join us every Sunday in praising God. And they join
us each day as we praise God for their life and the memories they left us.
Why should we praise God? Why
should we praise God? The psalmist answers this by saying, “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to
his surpassing greatness!” Here the writer focuses upon the omnipotence of God - his
majesty, holiness, wisdom and power that is greater than anything or anyone in
all of creation. Today we praise and thank God for saving us in Christ from the
powers of sin and death and for his indwelling spirit in our lives.
How to Praise God How should we
praise God? The psalmist urges us to praise God with dance and with music, such
as the trumpet, lute, harp, timbrel, strings, pipe and cymbals. We do this each
Sunday with our hymns, prayers, the Gloria Patri, the Doxology, through the
piano and organ, and through our wonderful choir. And, if you’re very lucky,
through your preacher’s harmonica.
Who is to praise God?
Who
is it that is to praise our great God? The psalmist answers this by saying, “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!” [150:6 NRSV]
This means that the offering of praise is not limited to ministers, elders,
deacons, choirs, pianists and organists. Rather it is to be offered by God’s
people everywhere and at any time.
Final Thoughts As you read and meditate upon the
psalms this coming week, you will discover people just like us. No, they didn’t
have computers and cell phones. And they didn’t encounter back ups in rush
hour. But they were people who experienced the same emotional and physical
problems and worries we have. You will find some who are in pain or sorrow,
others in happiness and joy. And you will be able to say, “I know how they
feel!”
Write your own psalm
This morning, I invite you to join the Psalm a Month Club. Once a month,
sit down and write your own psalm that reflects your feelings, concerns, joys
and hopes. If you are filled with joy, write a psalm to God praising God. And
if you are having problems, write your thoughts to God and ask for his help.
Write a psalm asking for God’s intervention with the nations of the world. And
write a psalm of praise for sending his son, Jesus, to save you from the powers
of sin and death. Whatever it is you want to say to or about God, write it down
as a psalm.
A psalm appropriate for this morning
might read as follows.“Happy are those who
bring their son to be baptized for their home is a house of prayer and their
hope is in Christ Jesus, their Lord.” Let us pray.
Psalm 1:1-6 NRSV
Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous;
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 150:1-6 NRSV
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing
greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
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