Psalms 98, 114 and 139

There are many example of different types of Psalms. Here are three.

Psalm 114:
A Psalm of remembrance. It is good for us to remember the amazing things that God has done in the past. This Psalm depicts the time God rescued the Israelites by parting the Red Sea. God wants us to remember these biblical stories, but also to remember the times God has been there for us. Stop right now and think of when God protected you, comforted you and made a way for you. It is good to just stop and remember these things because it grows our faith and it draws us nearer to the Provider, Comforter and Protector.

                                                        Psalm 114:1-4
          When the Israelites escaped from Egypt, when the family of Jacob left that 
          foreign land, the land of Judah became God's sanctuary, and Israel His kingdom.
         The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the
         Jordan River turned away. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like sheep.


Psalm 98:
A Psalm of praise. Did you ever hear the birds singing? did you ever thing that their song is a song of praise to God? If the little birdies can sing praises to the Lord, what should prevent us from doing the same. Psalm 22 says that "God inhabits the praises of His people". Which means God lives in our praise! If you want to be closer to God.... praise Him.... sing to Him. He loves it!

                                                       Psalm 98:4-8
          Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.
          Make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing.
          With trumpets and the blast of a ram's horn, Shout for joy to the Lord, the King.
          Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all that live in it.

Psalm 139:
A Psalm of thanksgiving. Nothing in this life is guaranteed. God is the provider of everything, including our next breath. God was there at the beginning. (While we were still in our mom's tummy) He created us with a purpose. He knows everything about us... and He STILL loves us! There is so much to thank God for. We can use the thanksgiving Psalms to show our gratiude for His love, His provision, His protection etc....

                                                       Psalm 139:13-18
                        You made all the delicate , inner parts of my body and 
                        knit me together in my mother's womb.
                        Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
                        Your workmanship is marvelous. How well I know it.
                        You watched me as I was being formed in seclusion,
                        as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
                        You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life
                        was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid
                        out before a single day had passed.
 

       

The book of Psalms

We can't illustrate every Psalm, so we are going to pick a few to draw and give an overview of the whole book by asking questions, and answering them.

 (1)Who wrote the Book of Psalms?
 The Book of Psalms was written by Moses, King David, Heman, Ethan, King Solomon, Asaph and the son's of Korah. So a lot of people were involved. Although King David wrote almost half of the Psalms.... and there are a few that we don't know who wrote them. What is nice is that, a lot of the Psalms give the author and a brief story of what was happening, and the significance of each one.

(2) How many years did it take to write the Book of Psalms?
 Believe it or not, Psalms was written over a span of nearly1000 years! From 1440 B.C. (during the time of Moses) to 586 B.C. The Psalms cover most of Israels history. (While they were in Egypt, when they escaped into the wilderness, and during the reign of their judges and kings, until the time of their captivity by the Babylonians.

(3) What is the purpose of the Book of Psalms?
 In the New testament, Psalms is referred to many times. It was and is considered a book of wisdom, teaching about God and getting to know God personally. It was actually written in song form. So, many of the Psalms read like poems, with stanzas, alliteration and rhyming. However, since they were translated from Jewish, they lost some of their rhythm.

(4) How are the Psalms applicable to me?
 The Book of Psalms are so full of prayers for many situations. We can read the Psalms from our own perspective and pray them back to God. (By the way, He loves when we pray His words back to Him) The Psalms express a wide range of emotions, from Joy, hope, trust, gratitude and praise, to despair, fear, and sorrow. We can use the Psalms to pray, worship, confess and praise God.

So as we mentioned in question/answer #3, Psalms teach us. What are some of the things that we
can learn from the Book of Psalms.
(A) It's OK to express how we feel to God, whether positive or negative.
(B) God cares for each of us. The Psalms reinforce our understanding of His love.
(C) The Psalms teach us that serving God and doing right is worth it.
(D) Some Psalms like Psalm 22 point to the coming of Jesus. So we can trust them.
(E) We learn what God desires from us in prayer and worship.

                                               PSALM 23
                                          a Psalm of David

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Even tho I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. .