Today’s passage: Psalm 29

Helpful thoughts:

• Glory is due to the Lord.  It is right for us to worship Him.  We could not worship Him more than He deserves.
• The power displayed in the events of nature/creation depicted in this Psalm pail in comparison to the full extent of power God possesses. 
• If it seems strange to see God’s voice bringing about all these things, remember, God spoke the universe into existence.

Questions to consider:

1. What ways of thinking, philosophies, common cultural norms, prevent us from seeing the beauty and power of God on display in everyday life?  How should science be reinforcing and increasing our awe of God instead of turning us away from Him?
2.  Whose common grace is being enjoyed and utilized by the people of this world even to actively reject God and encourage others to do so as well?
3. How do these truths make it even more imperative for people to repent and worship the Lord?  How should these truths help us as we consider our plans for the day?

Today’s passage: Psalm 28

Helpful thoughts:

• Without God, without His revealed Word, we are helpless and hopeless.
• Sin must be and will be judged by the Lord.
• The salvation of God’s people does not come from their good deeds (Being different/better than those who receive judgment), it is from the Lord.
  • He gives mercy.
  • He is our strength.
  • He is our saving refuge.

Questions to consider:

1. How did God become our saving refuge?  How was sin judged for those who are His people? (What is the Gospel?)
2. What is the sin that David points to as being the ultimate reason why sinners must be judged?  What does verse 5 point to specifically?
3. What more does God do than simply save us from judgment?  What does verse 9 teach us?  How long will God be these things to His people?

Today’s passage: Psalm 27

Helpful thoughts:

• God is more powerful than any man or anything mankind can accomplish.
• David was more excited to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to learn about God than he ever was about being rescued from his difficulties.
• The eager expectation of being with God after his death fueled David’s obedience during the hardships of life.

Questions to consider:

1. Why are we tempted sometimes to love the gifts more than the Gift-Giver (God)?
2. What is the greatest gift that God is giving to His children?
3. How does pondering this truth and all that there is to learn about God (His attributes, His holiness, His love-especially as displayed in the Gospel, etc.) help us to live the life He has called us to in this world?

Today’s passage: Psalm 26

Helpful thoughts:

• In this Psalm, David is under false accusation and judgment at the hand of sinful men.
• When the Lord renders judgment for His children, it is for their defense and vindication.
• The one who trusts in the steadfast love of the Lord will generally and progressively lead a different life (A different walk) than the one who remains dead in their trespasses and sin.

Questions to consider:

1. What was David’s goal in the midst of these accusations?  What does he commit to do in verses 11-12?
2. What roles do the grace of God in our salvation and our obedience to walk in His ways play in keeping a clear conscience?
3. What does David acknowledge as a blessing to his ability to continue walking with the Lord in faithfulness (Verse 8)?  What does he rightly suggest would lead him astray (Verse 4)?

Today’s passage: Psalm 25

Helpful thoughts:

• David, in distress, cries out to God:
  • The basis of his appeal is the character and graciousness of God.
  • The goal of his appeal is God’s glory.
  • The fruit of his appeal is following in the Lord’s paths.
  • The heart of his appeal is one of humility and contriteness.
• In Psalm 24, we were reminded to follow God because He is our maker and owner.  In Psalm 25 we are also encouraged with the fact that He is good!

Questions to consider:

1. Did David’s salvation precede or follow his obedience?  Why is following in the Lord’s paths fruit of God’s work and not the root (or cause) of our salvation?
2. What aspects of God’s character do we find in this Psalm?
3. What does it mean that God is good?  How does His goodness encourage you to follow and worship Him?

Today’s passage: Psalm 24

Helpful thoughts:

• The earth that we live on and all of the human beings who live on it, including you, belong to the Lord.
• Verses 4-5 remind us of a couple things:
  • No one is qualified to ascend into heaven or able to stand fast in the holy place.  We fall short.
  • The hands will do what the heart desires.
  • We receive blessing and righteousness from the Lord.  We are saved by the grace of God.
• Lord of “Hosts” comes from the Hebrew word for armies.  The LORD leads the angel armies and will never know defeat.

Questions to consider:

1. Some people will ask why God calls one thing a sin and something else righteous.  How does the fact that God is our Creator and therefore the owner and master of the universe help to answer this question?
2. How does the fact that God is our Creator, Owner and Master affect the way we think about our sin?  Is sin just doing bad things or is it something more?
3. How does this thinking about sin and our condition before God make our forgiveness, our salvation, our gifted righteousness, and God’s promise to fight on our behalf even sweeter?

Today’s passage: Psalm 23

Helpful thoughts:

• God leads us in paths of righteousness.  God will never lead anyone to do anything that contradicts His Word.
• Shepherds use their rods and staffs to wack their sheep if they start going the wrong direction.  This phrase found in verse 4 is similar to Hebrews 12:6.  God’s discipline comforts us because it reminds us that He is watching and actively loving us.
• The Lord does and provides all of these wonderful things for His name’s sake (End of verse 3).

Questions to consider:

1. Why would it be wrong to only want God so that I can have everything I “want” with “green pastures” and “still waters”?  Why is it infinitely better to believe in and know the true God who does all of this for His name’s sake?
2. How do God’s “rod and staff” keep us from evil?  How does God’s loving discipline and our desire for instruction and correction help us in this life?
3. How does looking to the future, grace that is yet to come, give us greater motivation to pursue God and His righteousness today?

Today’s passage: Psalm 22:19-31

Helpful thoughts:

• Satan’s attack against Christ was not only thwarted, but served to defeat him.  Christ won the victory.
• The story of Jesus Christ and our salvation should confirm in our hearts that God is worthy of praise, glory and awe.
• This praise, glory, and awe will extend into the millennial kingdom (And certainly beyond) as people from all over the earth recount the grace of God and the work of Jesus Christ!

Questions to consider:

1. Though Satan could be compared to a ferocious dog, the mouth of a hungry lion, or the horns of a disgruntled ox, how does his power stack up against God’s?  What will all of his attempts to take the throne result in?
2. Sometimes we forget how big of a deal Jesus is and we don’t worship and live for Him as is right.  What kinds of thoughts and desires occupy our minds and can tend to distract us from the greatest good?
3. What seems more impressive, finding out how much better you feel because of Jesus or who Jesus is and what He has done?  What will people be compelled to proclaim during the reign of Jesus (Verse 31)?  How might that affect our evangelism now?  Are positive feelings really the best, most glorious thing we have to offer?

Today’s passage: Psalm 22:1-18

Helpful thoughts:

• This is a Messianic Psalm:
  • Jesus suffered separation from God on the cross when He took our sin upon Himself.
  • Jesus was scorned and mocked by the Jews and Romans.
  • The crucifixion would have included all of the pains of verses 14-15.
  • Jesus died before the soldiers broke the legs of the others who were being crucified.  His bones were not broken.
  • The soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothing.
• You could read Matthew 27:27-54, Mark 15:16-39, Luke 23:26-49, John 19:16-37 to see the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.  Look for the fulfillment of the statements from Psalm 22!

Questions to consider:

1. This Psalm was written over 1,000 years before Christ died on the cross.  Do you think you could write something that would happen after 3019 A.D. with the same amount of detail?  How can fulfilled prophecy give us greater confidence in the claims of Jesus Christ and the authenticity of the Word of God?
2. What part of the crucifixion would have been the hardest for Jesus to experience?  How does this give you a greater appreciation and love for Him?
3. Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and in His shed blood at the cross for your sin?  Have you asked God to forgive you and save you?  Who could you share the Gospel message with today?

Today’s passage: Psalm 21

Helpful thoughts:

• David’s strength and salvation came from the LORD.
• Remember the poetic parallelism of the Psalms.  The desire of the heart and the requests of the lips are not different from one another.  What is in the heart comes out of the mouth. (Matthew 12:34)
• God gave David longer life but, David did die.  The phrase, “length of days forever and ever” could refer to Christ Himself, OR to the endurance of the line of David on the throne, eternally fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
• The reign of Jesus Christ will include the final destruction of all His enemies as expressed in verses 8-12.

Questions to consider:

1. How many reasons can you find in this Psalm to follow, love and worship the Lord instead of choosing against Him or hating Him?
2. When God gives you salvation and life, how does that change your desires and requests?
3. Is David writing this Psalm to reassure God or to recount what God has already done to save and what God will do to judge?  Who made the king to rejoice in the Lord’s presence?  Who caused the king to rejoice in and exult the Lord?  Why does God truly deserve ALL praise?