Daily Lesson for Friday 5th of January 2024

Read Ellen G. White, “The Temple and Its Dedication,” pp. 35–50, in Prophets and Kings; “The Benefits of Music,” pp. 291, 292, in Messages to Young People.

The book of Psalms consists of 150 psalms, which are grouped into five books: Book I (Psalms 1:1-6−41), Book II (Psalms 42:1-11:1-11−72), Book III (Psalms 73:1-28:1-28−89), Book IV (Psalms 90:1-17−106), and Book V (Psalms 1:1-607−150). The five-book division of the Psalter is an early Jewish tradition that parallels the five-book division of the Pentateuch.

The book of Psalms provides evidence of some already-existing collections of psalms: the Korahite collections (Psalms 42:1-11:1-11−49, 84, 85, 87, 88), the Asaphite collection (Psalms 73:1-28:1-28−83), the Songs of the Ascents (Psalms 1:1-620−134), and the Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 1:1-611−118, 146−150). Psalms 72:20 bears witness to a smaller collection of David’s psalms.

While most psalms are associated with the time of King David and early monarchy (tenth century B.C.), the collection of psalms continued to grow through the following centuries: the divided monarchy, the exile, and the postexilic period. It is conceivable that the Hebrew scribes under the leadership of Ezra combined the existing smaller collections of psalms into one book when they worked on establishing the services of the new temple.

The fact that scribes consolidated the book of Psalms does not take away from their divine inspiration. The scribes, like the psalmists, were devoted servants of God, and their work was directed by God (Ezra 7:6,10). The divine-human nature of the Psalms is comparable to the union of the divine and the human in the incarnated Lord Jesus. “But the Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, presents a union of the divine and the human. Such a union existed in the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God and the Son of man. Thus it is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that ‘the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.’ ”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 8.

Discussion Questions

1. What does it mean that the Psalms are divine-human prayers and hymns? How does this idea, however difficult to fully grasp, help us see the closeness that God wants with His people? How does it reveal, in its own way, how close to humanity, and to each of us, God is?
2. In class, talk about a time in which you found something in the Psalms speaking directly to your own situation. What comfort and hope did you find there?

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Daily Lesson for Thursday 4th of January 2024

The world of the Psalms is wholly God-centered; it seeks to submit, in prayer and praise, all life experiences to God. God is the Sovereign Creator, the King and Judge of all the earth. He provides all things for His children. Therefore, He is to be trusted at all times. Even the enemies of God’s people ask, “ ‘Where is your God?’ ” when God’s people seem to be failing (Psalms 42:10, NKJV). Just as the Lord is the ever-present and never-failing God of His people, so God’s people have God always before them. Ultimately, the Psalms envision the time when all peoples and the entire creation will worship God (Psalms 47:1, Psalms 64:9).

The centrality of God in life produces the centrality of worship. The worship in which the Psalms lived was fundamentally different from worship as understood by many people today, because worship in the biblical culture was the natural and undisputed center of the entire community’s life. Therefore, everything that happened, both the good and the bad, in the life of God’s people inevitably was expressed in worship. God hears the psalmist, wherever he may be, and responds to him in His perfect time (Psalms 3:4, Psalms 18:6, Psalms 20:6).

The psalmist is aware that God’s dwelling place is in heaven, but at the same time, God dwells in Zion, in the sanctuary among His people. God is at the same time far and near, everywhere, and in His temple (Psalms 11:4), hidden (Psalms 10:1) and disclosed (Psalms 41:12). In the Psalms these apparently mutually exclusive characteristics of God are brought together. The psalmists understood that proximity and remoteness were inseparable within the true being of God (Psalms 24:7-10). The psalmists understood the dynamics of this spiritual tension. Their awareness of God’s goodness and presence, amid whatever they were experiencing, is what strengthens their hope while they wait for God to intervene, however and whenever He chooses to do so.

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Daily Lesson for Wednesday 3rd of January 2024

The Psalms are inspired prayers and praises of Israel, and so, in the Psalms the voice is that of God intermingled with that of His people. The Psalms assume the dynamics of vivid interactions with God.

The psalmists address God personally as “my God,” “O Lord,” and “my King” (Psalms 5:2, Psalms 84:3). The psalmists often implore God to “give ear” (Psalms 5:1), “hear my prayer” (Psalms 39:12), “look” (Psalms 25:18), “answer me” (Psalms 102:2), and “deliver me” (Psalms 6:4, NKJV). These are clearly the expressions of someone praying to God.

The remarkable beauty and appeal of the Psalms as prayers and praises lie in the fact that the Psalms are the Word of God in the form of the pious prayers and praises of believers. The Psalms, thus, provide God’s children with moments of intimacy, such as described in Romans 8:26-27: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (NKJV).

Jesus, too, quoted from the Psalms, such as in Luke 20:42-43, when He quoted directly from Psalms 110:1—“ ‘Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: “The Lord said to my Lord, / ‘Sit at My right hand, / Till I make Your enemies Your footstool’ ” ’ ” (NKJV).

Although some psalms have sprung from, or refer to, specific historical events and the experiences of the psalmists themselves, as well as the experiences of Israel as a nation, the Psalms’ spiritual depth speaks to a variety of life situations and crosses all cultural, religious, ethnic, and gender boundaries. In other words, as you read the Psalms, you will find them expressing hope, praise, fear, anger, sadness, and sorrow—things that people everywhere, in every age, no matter their circumstances, face. They speak to us all, in the language of our own experiences.

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Daily Lesson for Tuesday 2nd of January 2024

The Psalms make the believing community aware of the full range of human experience, and they demonstrate that believers can worship God in every season in life. In them we see the following:

(1) Hymns that magnify God for His majesty and power in creation, His kingly rule, judgment, and faithfulness. (2) Thanksgiving psalms that express profound gratitude for God’s abundant blessings. (3) Laments that are heartfelt cries to God for deliverance from trouble. (4) Wisdom psalms that provide practical guidelines for righteous living. (5) Royal psalms that point to Christ, who is the sovereign King and Deliverer of God’s people. (6) Historical psalms that recall Israel’s past and highlight God’s faithfulness and Israel’s unfaithfulness to teach the coming generations not to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors but to trust God and remain faithful to His covenant.

The poetry of the Psalms demonstrates distinctive power to capture the attention of readers. Though some of these poetic devices are lost in translation, we can still, in our native language, appreciate many of them.

1. Parallelism involves the combining of symmetrically constructed words, phrases, or thoughts. Parallelism helps in understanding the meaning of corresponding parts. For instance: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” (Psalms 103:1, NKJV). In this parallelism, “my soul” is “all that is within me,” namely one’s whole being.

2. Imagery uses figurative language to strongly appeal to readers’ physical senses. For example, God’s refuge is depicted as “the shadow of [His] wings” (Psalms 17:8, NKJV).

3. Merism expresses totality by a pair of contrasting parts. “I have cried day and night before thee” denotes crying without ceasing (Psalms 88:1, emphasis supplied).

4. Wordplays employ the sound of words to make a pun and highlight a spiritual message. In Psalms 96:4-5 the Hebrew words ’elohim, “gods,” and ’elilim, “idols,” create a wordplay to convey the message that the gods of the nations only appear to be ’elohim, “gods,” but are merely ’elilim, “idols.”

Finally, the word “selah” denotes a brief interlude, either for a call to pause and reflect on the message of a particular section of the psalm or a change of musical accompaniment (Psalms 61:4).

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Key Thought: Accepting the psalms in their historical, theological, and liturgical contexts is key for understanding their messages which span across thousands of years to our time.
January 6, 2024

A. Have a volunteer read Nehemiah 12:8, Psalm 18:1, Psalm 30:1,2.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What were some reasons or occasions that inspired the writing of some of the psalms?
3. Personal Application: Have you, or do you use the psalms in your own private or corporate worship?” Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “The Psalms were written in the Old Testament for praise and worship of God for the Jews. They have no applicability to us today as New Testament Christians. They are mostly about war and conquering their enemies.” How would you respond to your relative?

B. Have a volunteer read Psalm 3:5-8, Psalm 33:1-3, Psqalm 109:6-15.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What different occasions of human experience do these psalms convey?
   (Note: Hymns that magnify God. Thanksgiving psalms. Laments and cries for God’s deliverance. Wisdom psalms for good living. Royal psalms to the king and deliverer.)
3. Personal Application: What kind of psalms would you most likely be apt to use or write in your references to God in your life? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Why does David write so many psalms that seem to focus on destroying his enemies and bringing judgment on others? Where is Crist’s love for the erring and sinners in his heart?” How would you respond to your friend?

C. Have a volunteer read 2 Samuel 23:1-2, Romans 8:26,27.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What do these texts teach us about prayer?
3. Personal Application: How comforting is it to know that God’s Spirit is interceding for us with God according to God’s will when we pray? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “When the Spirit intercedes for us in groanings; is that speaking of the tongues of angels so God can hear and understand our prayers?” How would you respond to your relative?

D. Have a volunteer read Psalm 16:8, 44:8, 46:1.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What place does God occupy in the psalmist’s life?
3. Personal Application: Are there any parts of your life that you may trying to keep the Lord at a distance? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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