Wednesday Bible Study at Saint Paul's United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Psalm 65:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David. A song:
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Psalm 65:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David. A song:
2 (1) To you, God, in Tziyon, silence is praise;
and vows to you are to be fulfilled.
3 (2) You who listen to prayer,
to you all living creatures come.
4 (3) When deeds of wickedness overwhelm me,
you will atone for our crimes.
5 (4) How blessed are those you choose and bring near,
so that they can remain in your courtyards!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the Holy Place of your temple.
6 (5) It is just that you answer us with awesome deeds,
God of our salvation,
you in whom all put their trust,
to the ends of the earth and on distant seas.
7 (6) By your strength you set up the mountains.
You are clothed with power.
8 (7) You still the roaring of the seas,
their crashing waves, and the peoples’ turmoil.
9 (8) This is why those living at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your signs.
The places where the sun rises and sets
you cause to sing for joy.
10 (9) You care for the earth and water it,
you enrich it greatly;
with the river of God, full of water,
you provide them grain and prepare the ground.
11 (10) Soaking its furrows and settling its soil,
you soften it with showers and bless its growth.
12 (11) You crown the year with your goodness,
your tracks overflow with richness.
13 (12) The desert pastures drip water,
the hills are wrapped with joy,
14 (13) the meadows are clothed with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain,
so they shout for joy and break into song.
and vows to you are to be fulfilled.
3 (2) You who listen to prayer,
to you all living creatures come.
4 (3) When deeds of wickedness overwhelm me,
you will atone for our crimes.
5 (4) How blessed are those you choose and bring near,
so that they can remain in your courtyards!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the Holy Place of your temple.
6 (5) It is just that you answer us with awesome deeds,
God of our salvation,
you in whom all put their trust,
to the ends of the earth and on distant seas.
7 (6) By your strength you set up the mountains.
You are clothed with power.
8 (7) You still the roaring of the seas,
their crashing waves, and the peoples’ turmoil.
9 (8) This is why those living at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your signs.
The places where the sun rises and sets
you cause to sing for joy.
10 (9) You care for the earth and water it,
you enrich it greatly;
with the river of God, full of water,
you provide them grain and prepare the ground.
11 (10) Soaking its furrows and settling its soil,
you soften it with showers and bless its growth.
12 (11) You crown the year with your goodness,
your tracks overflow with richness.
13 (12) The desert pastures drip water,
the hills are wrapped with joy,
14 (13) the meadows are clothed with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain,
so they shout for joy and break into song.
7. Re-write the Psalm in your own words.
Psalm 65
We sit in silence praising You, Lord God
We come to You and receive the joy as we praise You in Word and Deed
We look around you and see the goodness you have given us
We see all creation is being well nurtured and well fed by your hand
We see our own life and see how you have taken care of us, our families, and friends
What praise we give to you for all you have down and you reward us with Joy unspeakable and full of your glory.
Seeking of you as we give you praise in our private and public worshipCome let us serve and praise you in all we are able to be and do for Your Presence is always with us as you forgive us of any sin we have committed against You.
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Psalm 73
Psalm 73:(0) A psalm of Asaf:
(1) How good God is to Isra’el,
to those who are pure in heart!
2 But as for me, I lost my balance,
my feet nearly slipped,
3 when I grew envious of the arrogant
and saw how the wicked prosper.
4 For when their death comes, it is painless;
and meanwhile, their bodies are healthy;
5 they don’t have ordinary people’s troubles,
they aren’t plagued like others.
6 So for them, pride is a necklace;
and violence clothes them like a robe.
7 Their eyes peep out through folds of fat;
evil thoughts overflow from their hearts.
8 They scoff and speak with malice,
they loftily utter threats.
9 They set their mouths against heaven;
their tongues swagger through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return here
and [thoughtlessly] suck up that whole cup of water.
11 Then they ask, “How does God know?
Does the Most High really have knowledge?”
12 Yes, this is what the wicked are like;
those free of misfortune keep increasing their wealth.
13 It’s all for nothing that I’ve kept my heart clean
and washed my hands, staying free of guilt;
14 for all day long I am plagued;
my punishment comes every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will talk like them,”
I would have betrayed a generation of your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
I found it too hard for me —
17 until I went into the sanctuaries of God
and grasped what their destiny would be.
18 Indeed, you place them on a slippery slope
and make them fall to their ruin.
19 How suddenly they are destroyed,
swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakens;
Adonai, when you rouse yourself,
you will despise their phantoms.
21 When I had a sour attitude
and felt stung by pained emotions,
22 I was too stupid to understand;
I was like a brute beast with you.
23 Nevertheless, I am always with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You will guide me with your advice;
and afterwards, you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
And with you, I lack nothing on earth.
26 My mind and body may fail; but God
is the rock for my mind and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who adulterously leave you.
28 But for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made Adonai Elohim my refuge,
so that I can tell of all your works.
(1) How good God is to Isra’el,
to those who are pure in heart!
2 But as for me, I lost my balance,
my feet nearly slipped,
3 when I grew envious of the arrogant
and saw how the wicked prosper.
4 For when their death comes, it is painless;
and meanwhile, their bodies are healthy;
5 they don’t have ordinary people’s troubles,
they aren’t plagued like others.
6 So for them, pride is a necklace;
and violence clothes them like a robe.
7 Their eyes peep out through folds of fat;
evil thoughts overflow from their hearts.
8 They scoff and speak with malice,
they loftily utter threats.
9 They set their mouths against heaven;
their tongues swagger through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return here
and [thoughtlessly] suck up that whole cup of water.
11 Then they ask, “How does God know?
Does the Most High really have knowledge?”
12 Yes, this is what the wicked are like;
those free of misfortune keep increasing their wealth.
13 It’s all for nothing that I’ve kept my heart clean
and washed my hands, staying free of guilt;
14 for all day long I am plagued;
my punishment comes every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will talk like them,”
I would have betrayed a generation of your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
I found it too hard for me —
17 until I went into the sanctuaries of God
and grasped what their destiny would be.
18 Indeed, you place them on a slippery slope
and make them fall to their ruin.
19 How suddenly they are destroyed,
swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakens;
Adonai, when you rouse yourself,
you will despise their phantoms.
21 When I had a sour attitude
and felt stung by pained emotions,
22 I was too stupid to understand;
I was like a brute beast with you.
23 Nevertheless, I am always with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You will guide me with your advice;
and afterwards, you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
And with you, I lack nothing on earth.
26 My mind and body may fail; but God
is the rock for my mind and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who adulterously leave you.
28 But for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made Adonai Elohim my refuge,
so that I can tell of all your works.
Answers:
- What is the Theme? God takes care of His righteous and holy people.
- Describe the basic message. God blesses the righteous and the unrighteous while the unrighteous will receive their destruction at the hands of God.
- What did you learn from this passage? I should not attempt to follow in the footsteps of the arrogant and rich for I will go away from God and His way for my life.
- What troubled you the most about this passage? How the writer cannot see God's blessings on the holy and righteous people even if the arrogant and wicked have better lives.
- Which verse or verses really spoke to you? Verse 24 You will guide me with your advice;
and afterwards, you will receive me with honor. - In how does this passage help your prayer life? I will seek God in my life whether others look as though they are getting better treatment than I am receiving.
- Re-write the Psalm in your own words.
Psalm 73
Holy God, I see how the holy and righteous people are taken care by you
Then, I look at the wicked and arrogant and see how they prosper in everything and live lives of luxurious living while not getting sick as I do
I have serve you, but I went away from your ways when I sought to follow the wicked and arrogant because of their successes.
Even today, I see the political leaders and the drug lords prosper as they seek their agendas over the agendas of the population for peace and community living
The politicians and drug lords continue to gain more wealth, proserity, and notoriety in the world while your people are continue to be oppressed and even killed because of their faith in you.
Yet, I will look beyond this as I enter into your Presence and see what their destruction will look like as you give them what is due them.
I confess my sins of looking away from your ways of holiness to be in your Presence all the days of my life.
I sing and shout the victory you give me because of my trust and faithfulness to your ways and will. Hallelujah! Amen!
Holy God, I see how the holy and righteous people are taken care by you
Then, I look at the wicked and arrogant and see how they prosper in everything and live lives of luxurious living while not getting sick as I do
I have serve you, but I went away from your ways when I sought to follow the wicked and arrogant because of their successes.
Even today, I see the political leaders and the drug lords prosper as they seek their agendas over the agendas of the population for peace and community living
The politicians and drug lords continue to gain more wealth, proserity, and notoriety in the world while your people are continue to be oppressed and even killed because of their faith in you.
Yet, I will look beyond this as I enter into your Presence and see what their destruction will look like as you give them what is due them.
I confess my sins of looking away from your ways of holiness to be in your Presence all the days of my life.
I sing and shout the victory you give me because of my trust and faithfulness to your ways and will. Hallelujah! Amen!
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