Elwood C O'Dell

Q2. (Psalm 110) Why do you think that Jesus asked the Pharisees about verse 1, "If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" What point was Jesus making? Jesus wanted them to see clearly who he really was. Not just human but deity, the LORD, the Messiah.

Q1. (Psalm 2) What does Psalm 2 teach us about Yahweh's "anointed" king? The psalmist is speaking about an international conspiracy against Yahweh and his King. The Apostle Peter preached that Psalm 2:1-2 are prophetic of the conspiracy of Herod and Pontius Pilate that resulted in Christ's crucifixion (Acts 4:25-26). The "nations" refer to the Gentiles (the Romans), and "kings of the earth" and "rulers" to Herod, Pontius Pilate, and the Sanhedrin. Verse 7 speaks of an especially close relationship between the Father and Son, Yahweh and his Messiah, and Verse 8 seems to speak of a king that rules over the whole earth, not just the nations that surround Israel itself. Why do you think the apostles saw this passage as referring to Jesus the Messiah? Perhaps it is because of what they heard God say about Him at His baptism. (Mark 1:10-11) The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." (Luke 3:21-21)After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." What does the passage teach about the importance of submission to Jesus the Christ before it is too late? The kings and rulers of the earth need to submit to Yahweh's anointed Son with the kiss of homage before he comes with might to put down their rebellion towards him. To me this seems to say, submit or you will lose out in the end. There will come a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. See Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:11.

Q3. (Psalm 117 and Lamentations 3:22-23). Why are love and trustworthiness so important as the bedrock of the Old Testament faith? Everything else that we hold true and find in God are built upon His love and faithfulness. What kinds of terms does the New Testament use to talk about these characteristics? His love, kindness, encouragement, comfort, faithfulness. Can you think of any New Testament verses that speak of these themes? Luk 1:78 (CEV) God

Q2. (Psalm 145) Which aspects of God's character mentioned in Psalm 145 stand out to you in particular? It is really hard just to pick one or two that stick out. His faithfulness, His love and the way He supplies our every need stand out, but for me as I write this today I would have to say that which really stands out is that He fulfills our desires, hears our cry and saves us. His loving watch care and concern are truly amazing. Why is it important for "every creature," every human being, to praise him? He is worthy of praise because of Who He is and What He has done for his creation. I love Psalm 148 and the call to praise it contains for all of creation. I especially like the way The Message interprets verse 13,

Q1. (Psalm 103) Which one or two aspects of God's character mentioned in this Psalm stand out to you? What really stands out to me is that He is a

Q4. (Psalm 24) How do verses 1-2 establish the Lord's right as King? They speak of His sovereignty. He founded and established the earth and everything in it, they are His, He owns it entirely. What do verses 3-6 tell us about the requirements of the King? They establish the requirements for those who can come into His presence.

Q3. (Psalm 126). In this psalm, the nation is going through some kind of crisis. How does the memory of God's deliverance in verses 1-3 prepare them for the prayer of verse 4? It reminds them of God

To ascribe to God attributes of glory and strength is to credit Him with the glory that is His. He is glory, He is strength. As Delitzsch wrote, it is "to render back to Him cheerfully and joyously in a laudatory recognition, as it were by an echo, His glory and might, which are revealed and to be revealed in the created world.

Praise in the midst of a trying circumstance becomes difficult because of the turmoil and stress that circumstance can cause with our mindset. The circumstance can become so overwhelming that it is constantly at the forefront of our mind and occupies our thoughts, pushing everything else aside, becoming the center around which everything revolves. This makes it very difficult to concentrate on praise. The discipline of praise causes us to change our focus from self to the Master. It challenges us to actively control our attitude by remembering Who is really in control of all things.

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The rivers and streams are images of refreshment, of life, of peace. They are a picture of a place where one can put everything else aside, relax, and find peace knowing that God is in total control. He is the creator, the sustainer and He is more than capable of supplying or meeting our every need. I feel that His command to

The Message puts it this way.

The shepherd quiets his sheep and gives them confidence by his continuous presence with them as he provides for them, supplying their every need, as he goes before them leading in the right paths, protecting them even in the times of uncertainty and danger, and offers to them an optimistic hope that goes beyond the immediate, to a place where he will be ever present with them. Their part is to simply trust, put their faith in him, walking where he leads. What a beautiful picture this is of what our relationship can be with the Master of all shepherds.

David comes before the Lord with a humble spirit and the realization that there are some things he just cannot control. Things he must let go of and let God take care of. He comes with the realization that he doesn

Dr. Wilson gave a great answer to these questions when he wrote:

It is such a powerful reassurance to know that God will never leave me nor forsake me. What a thrill it is to know that He is there all the time for me, 24/7 365. What a source of help it is to know that He is constantly aware of where I am, what I am doing, and He knows full well what is happening every moment in my life. He is truly Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent. Words fail when I try to express the comfort, security and strength this gives me as I travel through this journey called life. Truly He is worthy of all praise, honor and glory.

In times of danger God has promised that in Him we can find a place of protection, a shelter, a shield, a fortress, and a refuge. It reminds me of a chorus we used to sing years ago that went something like this.

The psalmist sees God as a towering rock a place of security from his enemy, a refuge or strong tower where he can go to get above the situation, and as a shelter where he can hide as a baby chick does under the wings of their mother. This psalm reminds me of a hymn we used to sing that went something like this.

Father, we come seeking audience with you. We pray it is with true humbleness of heart, soul, mind and spirit that we enter your presence. Our desire is that we come with more than just mouthing words but that we come with a truly broken, contrite and open heart seeking your very face, seeking your will and way. We pray that you would reveal in us anything that would hinder true revival from taking place. Give us the courage, strength and grace to truly repent, with Godly sorrow, for those areas in our lives that need revival. May the Holy Spirit continue to purge and cleanse our inner being and empower us to be what you so desire. May The Holy Spirit continue to be our teacher leading and guiding into all truth that we might become more like Christ. In HIS name, Amen. Some of the elements I feel that need to be in such a prayer for revival are a true humbleness of spirit, a teachable heart, an open mind, a willingness to truly repent when God speaks and a desire to continually become more like The Master.

True faith requires that self be set aside and one

I feel unworthy of even the least of His favor, but oh the joy and peace that comes when I pause to remember that He loves even me and that I am the focus of His attention. It makes me want to give to Him all the praise, all the honor and all the glory due His Holy Name.

Q2. (Psalm 69:30-32) Why does this lament (and nearly all laments in the Psalms) end with an upswing of hope and praise? What does this teach us about our own laments and prayers? Why is praise, the language of faith, so important in our prayers, especially prayers of desperate pleas for help? I feel this psalm, like others, ends with an upswing of hope and praise, because David remembers that God's grace is greater than all his sin. As someone once said "the uplook is always better than the outlook" and when David looked up to God, I feel it changed him inwardly. To me this is a great reminder that the same God David loved and served is the same God that is active in our world and my life this day, so I have the same hope available to me. Heb 13:15 (CEV) says "Our sacrifice is to keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus." There is just something about praise that lifts one's spirit. It seems that when we give praise our spirit is lifted as it is joined with the Spirit of God. Then we can see our situation(s) more clearly as we gain perspective from His point of view.

Q1. (Psalm 69:12-18) How could David dare to ask anything from God after the shameful things he had done with Bathsheba and Uriah? How does God's grace and mercy function in the face of our sins? David, like any of the rest of us, dared to approach God simply because of God's great mercy and grace. What a loving, tender, compassionate, caring, forgiving, Father we have. His grace, His mercy still avails for you and me today as it did for David. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

As I looked over this Psalm I found what I feel would be several reasons for the giving of praise. Praise was given because God had done marvelous things, he has worked salvation, he has revealed his righteousness, he has remembered his love and faithfulness to his children. He had brought salvation