Today’s passage: Psalm 62

Helpful thoughts:

• God is not a last resort rock/salvation/fortress.  He is the only one.
  • This includes ourselves.  The idea of finding strength within ourselves to overcome is contrary to this Psalm, to the Word of God.
• Increased success, popularity and wealth could be the greatest temptations on the earth.
  • There is no lasting joy or strength in these things.
  • There will be people who give no true respect as a result of these things…only expectations and manipulation from those who desire to benefit from your success, popularity and wealth.

Questions to consider:

1. How does a verse like James 4:14 (What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.) affect your view of your inherit inner strength?  How does seeing ourselves as weak, seeing God as ultimately strong and then resting in Him enable us to endure all things (Philippians 4:13)?
2. Why does elevating my view of self end up being my downfall?  How would viewing myself as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-3) bring about a life of joy?
3. How should a Christian treat a person who is “successful” (Like a professional athlete, a wealthy businessman, a celebrity)?  What do they truly need?  How might many others be treating them?  How could you offer them something different and life-giving?

Today’s passage: Psalm 61

Helpful thoughts:

• When David felt far from God and lacked personal strength, he believed that God could hear his prayer and he desired fellowship and protection in God.
  • God was not enabled to hear only because David believed.  That is how Santa Claus works in the movies…that is not how God works.
• David’s desire was to be in the house (Tabernacle/Tent) of the Lord (Verse 4).
• Even if I became a king, God would still be “higher” than me.  He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.
• Verses 6-7 are fulfilled in King Jesus!

Questions to consider:

1. How does a right view (a high view) of God help us to grow in our prayer, in our worship, in our desire for righteous living?
2. Why should we love to be in church?  If church isn’t a place of rest, encouragement, growth, learning, repentance, then what is wrong?  (With me? and/or In the church?)
3. How can Christ’s eternal reign encourage you to persevere even when you feel like you are at the end of the earth…or at the “end of your rope”?

Today’s passage: Psalm 60

Helpful thoughts:

• The last several Psalms have been written in times when David was not yet king, being hunted by Saul.  Psalm 60 is written as King David is about to lead Israel on one of his first military campaigns.
• The early verses of this Psalm give an overview of the history of Israel through the time of the judges and Saul’s reign.
• With this Psalm, David calls on Israel to once again fear the Lord and asks God to once again bless Israel.
  • God answers in the affirmative (2 Samuel 8)!

Questions to consider:

1. Who was in control of Israel’s successes and their consequences?  To whom did David attribute the quaking of the land?  Why was David right to not blame God or be upset with Him for Israel’s difficulties?
2. Who gives the “banner of truth” and who displays it?  (See verse 4.  Check the NASB or the footnote in the ESV for the translation, “That it may be displayed because of truth.”)
3. What is the result of the display of the banner of truth?  How does truth bring deliverance? (Think Gospel first!)

Today’s passage: Psalm 59

Helpful thoughts:

• Verse 3 reminds us that persecution comes for the right that we do and/or believe.  People don’t persecute Christians for doing wrong things.  They persecute Christians for doing/believing right things.  Isaiah 5:20
• No matter how mighty or powerful man may feel he is, God is stronger.  To think that man could even come close to God’s ability and power is laughable.
• The men who are acting sinfully in this Psalm show off and talk big trying to get things for themselves.  David uses his mouth to sing praises to the real source of strength.

Questions to consider:

1. How can we learn to not allow people to intimidate us?  When they start talking in a way to amplify themselves, to what does the Bible compare them?
2. What is true of every person that we might fear?  How do they compare to God?  Even if we gain the favor of a loud-talking self-centered person, how long will that last and what would we gain from it?
3. If David had tried to outsmart these men, bark louder, or flex his muscles in response, would he have been any better? How was David’s approach to these men better than beating them at their own game?

Today’s passage: Psalm 58

Helpful thoughts:

• The little “g” gods in verse 1 could have been translated as “lords”, as in leaders of people.
  • These leaders would have seen themselves as mouthpieces for the gods, and they judged their people crookedly.
• The request for God to break their teeth in their mouth is referring back to the illustration of the venomous bites of a serpent.  David is requesting that God remove from them their ability to hurt anyone in their positions of power.
• David looks forward to what God has promised in Revelation 19:11-21.  Our hero and David’s hero is Jesus Christ!

Questions to consider:

1. Is there anything new under the sun?  Has the world been rid of injustice?  When will justice finally be served?  When will everything finally be made right?  Who will resolve this conflict?
2. What will mankind say is true after the final battle? (Verse 11)  How does this compare with Philippians 2:9-10?
3. Knowing that this is how God intends to bring final justice on the earth, where should we put our hope and trust?  Who is the only One who can make everything right?  Who can’t?  Therefore, what should be our primary mission as the church?  (Matthew 28:18-20)  How are we doing at keeping this our priority?

Today’s passage: Psalm 57

Helpful thoughts:

• The answer to the troubles David was facing was the exaltation of God.
• His enemies (In this case, Saul and his followers) fell into the trap they set for David because they think the answer to their troubles is the elimination of their “troubles” (Namely, David).
• Even though it seems Saul was in the wrong and David was in the right, David cries out to the Lord for mercy (Verse 1).  Saul was not David’s biggest problem.

Questions to consider:

1. What was David’s greatest problem?  What is our greatest problem?  What has God done about it? (Romans 5:8)
2. How then does the exaltation of God, the exaltation of Christ bring resolution to our fears and bring a calm and rest in the midst of our tribulations?  Why is it better (More powerful and effective) to exalt Christ than it is to constantly seek to put out every fire, expecting a trouble free life?
3. Who, in addition to you, misses out on seeing Christ exalted when we choose/prefer the “putting all the fires out” method?  How does Christianity start to look like “Just another religion” when we take that route?

Today’s passage: Psalm 56

Helpful thoughts:

• God knows and cares about the sufferings of His children.
• The worst that man could do to any of us can not compare to the good that God has promised!
• If you are in Christ, God has already delivered your soul from death.
  • John 8:51 – Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.

Questions to consider:

1. When we are afraid or anxious, where might we be tempted to turn?  What do we want first and the most?
2. Did David suggest that God was going to remove all of his troubles?  With what truths did David counsel himself?
3. How/Why can we serve and worship the Lord during difficulties?  How does our service and praise help us in the midst of hard times?

Today’s passage: Psalm 55

Helpful thoughts:

• We can pray more than three times a day.  In verse 7, David is claiming to pray, as we would say, around the clock…or “Without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
  • Prayer is only powerful because we pray to a powerful God.
• Proverbs 29:5 – “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.”
• “If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Check out Romans 8:31-39!

Questions to consider:

1. How does the immutability of God (God never changes) give you encouragement and hope?
2. Why was David compelled to pray so much?  What might a lack of prayer in our lives indicate?
3. How do we have to view other people in order to begin flattering and backstabbing?  How would “loving your neighbor as yourself” keep you from doing those things to others?  How would loving your neighbor help you to pray for them and prepare you to forgive after they have hurt you?

Today’s passage: Psalm 54

Helpful thoughts:

• The people of Ziph informed Saul of David’s whereabouts in both 1 Samuel 23 and 26.
• After pointing out that his enemies do not “set God before themselves”…David sets God before himself.  David meditated on the attributes and the works of God.
• God had made a specific promise to David.  Therefore, David could be confident while trusting in the Lord and make offerings by his own free will as opposed to trying to barter with God for a favor.

Questions to consider:

1. When David ran away from one enemy, what did he find in his new location?  What will we find if we continue to put all our hope/trust/confidence in people?
2. What promises has God made to you?  What does the Word of God say will come to pass for all those in Christ?
3. How can you put those truths about God and promises from God before yourself to help you remember?

Today’s passage: Psalm 53

Helpful thoughts:

• Atheism is portrayed as intelligent and wise by the world.  In reality, it is utter foolishness.
• The Apostle Paul refers to these words in Romans 3:10-12.
• Outside of Jesus Christ, there is not a single person who will ever be in heaven because they were “good enough.”
  • Not only are we not good enough.  We also would not seek after God outside of His gracious intervention.
  • We want wrong. (The heart)  We do wrong. (Sins of commission)  We don’t do what is right, such as seeking after God. (Sins of omission)
• Check out Psalm 14.  Look for the difference between these Psalms.

Questions to consider:

1. According to this psalm (verse 1 included), is it possible outside of God’s grace to have a good heart?  Who has a good heart?  When we say that someone does have a good heart, how do we come to that conclusion?  Who are we comparing them to?
2. Does a lack of knowledge excuse sinful actions (Verse 4)?  What makes an action right or wrong?  Who makes (made) that decision?
3. Why would those who reject God mistreat believers?  Why would they feel like we are against them when in fact, we are seeking to be kind and truthful? (Think: Knowledge of sin, conviction, the necessity of repentance, coming judgment, etc.)