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Joyous thanksgiving is the predominant emotion in Psalm 100? How does this psalm make you feel emotionally about God? "Who am I, O Lord God? For you Lord God, know your servant. For Your word's sake and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things to make Your servant know them. Therefore You are great, O Lord God, for there is none like You, nor is there any God besides Thee according to all we have heard with our ears."" 2nd Samuel 7: 18-22 What are the reasons for praise given in verses 3 and 5? The Lord, He is God, it is He that hast made us and not we ourselves. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. For the Lord He is good, His Mercy is everlasting. And His truth endurth to all generations. Ezekiel 34:11-16 " I Myself will search for My sheep and look after them. I will feed them in good pasture. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick... What are the commands in this psalm? Make a joyful noise unto the Lord Serve the Lord with Gladness Come befroe His presence with singing Know ye that the Lord, He is God Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise Be thankful unto Him and bless His name

Psalm 51 is one of my favorite psalms, verse 10-12 are especially comforting when I am experiencing a trial. I dont know about many of you, but when I am experiencing a difficult time, I pray for God's presence and the restoration of my joy. I dont ask God to take away the trial, but to grant me wisdom from the experience. I can bear anything except not feeling God near me or not feeling His presence.

How does one achieve a "broken and contrite heart"? " For I acknowledge my transgressions" When we openly declare that we have sinned, not as a plea seeking forgiveness, but letting God know that we need mercy and acknowledging that only He can grant it. "My sin is ever before me" I can have no rest or peace Father, other than I cast myself at your feet and beg for mercy praying that you hear my prayer. " Thou hast made me willing to confess. Lord put it away both from me and thee. What are the earmarks of this condition? How does this differ from "being sorry" for a sin? " Behold Thou desireth truth in the inward parts:...." God doesnt want outward virtue, "lip service," He desires inward purity. It is only when we know when, how, where and what sins that we have committed against God, that we have a true relevation of how far we are from satisifying God's commands.. God doesnt care for the pretence of purity, He looks to the mind, heart and soul. " Always has the Holy One of Israel estimated men by their inner nature, and not by their outward professions;to him, the inward is as visible as the outward, an he rightly judges that the essential character of an action lies in the motives of him who works it." How does humility relate to this condition? " And in the hidden part thou shall make me to know wisdom." We openly confess and ask God to make known, sins of ommission, that we commit unknowingly. We want God to teach us the truth about ourselves, things that we may have preceived as right, but were sinful in the eyes of God. No one can teach us our innermost nature, but God, and He can teach us so that we profit by the knowledge. We can only be better stewards of His Word as the Holy Spirit write God's Law on our hearts and we gain wisdom from it.

How is it possible to have a "pure heart" after great sin? None but God can create a new heart. New mercies are granted to us each day. God said that if we come to him seeking forgiveness with a truly repentant heart, that He will cast our sins into the sea of His forgetfulness. Salvation is the way that God can and does create pure hearts after great sins to those who seek Him. What does a "pure heart" consist of? A pure heart is one that is holy and acceptable unto Christ. It is one that has sinned, sought forgiveness through the utterings of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Jesus Christ who died for our sins that has been restored to the affection of our Soverign Lord. What is the relationship between a "pure heart" (Psalm 51:10) and a "united" or "undivided heart" (Psalm 86:11)? A pure heart and a united/undivided heart are hearts that are 100% committed to God, giving wholehearted praise and desirous of knowing God's way so that they may be even more faithful to His word. Who purifies the heart? What is the process? None but God can purify the heart. It is only through salvation that we know true forgiveness and the joy and peace that is ours through the love that God bears for us and that Jesus died so that we may have it eternally.

When David says, "Against you only I have sinned" (4a) is he minimizing his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah? What does he mean by this? No, God's commandment to us is not to commit adultry or to covet. David's committed both sins. His sin againt God was greater than his sin againt Bathsheba and Uriah, because ultimately we all have to answer for our sins at the throne of divine grace. David knew that God was present when he committed, the sin " And done this evil in thy sight, " and being the child of God that he was, he cared that the eye of God was on him when he sinned. When he mentions his sinfulness from before birth is he excusing himself or blaming Original Sin? What does he mean by this? David was not justifying himself or blaming Original Sin, rather he was continuing his confession, that he like man was sinful by nature and had been sinners from birth. Because we are all descendants of Adam, when we are conceived, we also conceive sin.

How does self-deceit operate with sin to enslave us? It enslaves us when we do not fully accept responsibility for our actions and our iniquities. It is human nature to cast blame elsewhere for our wrongdoing. This goes back to the original sin. Adam said that woman you gave me and Eve claimed it was the serpent's fault. We we fail to admit our full cupalibility, and place blame, we have to always be mindful of what was said to whom as the lies and half-truths can and will often entrap and enslave us. How does confession enable us to get free from sin? When we accept full responsibility for our wrongdoings, admit our fault both to God and the person wronged, it opens the door to forgiveness. Forgiveness is freeing as it gives us happiness and peace because the burden and guilt of the sin has been lifted. Why do we sometimes resist the truth about ourselves? No one likes to admit that he/she was wrong. One of the biggest begetting sins of man is the sin of pride of being made to feel foolish in front of our peers. We will oft times compound sin because of this pride. We may know at the heart of the matter that we are wrong, but getting us to admit it publically is another matter. I believe sometimes foolish man will take the truth to the grave rather than admit cupability to someone else. When we resist admitting the truth even to ourselves we close the door on God's forgiveness, because we are not right thinking in that we forget that nothing is or can be hidden from God. What does it take to get us to see truth sometimes? It takes conviction by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it takes being beaten up by God continuously for us to see and confess the truth of our wrongdoing. Other times it takes the truth being exposed for us to admit blame and fault. I dont know why we as humans choose to make our paths rough, if by simply confessing our sins and seeking forgiveness, our path will be made smooth, we then seek the hard road.

Psalm 110: 4a "The Lord has taken an oath and will not break His vow;" God's word is true. He is a God that cannot lie. He has promised us eternal life if we are obedient to His Word. If we a faithful to serve Him, then He will be our God and Father and we will be His beloved children. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. He could have sent His Son into the world to condemn the world, but instead He sent Him to suffer and bleed so that through Him, the world may be saved. God promises to be with us always, not just in the good times, not just on sunny days, but through all of our trials and tribulations. Always means forever and that is what God vowed to us, "Lo, I am with you always."

What similarities do you see between the words of Psalm 22 and the events of Jesus' crucifixion? He was forsaken by God. He was mocked and despised by those he had come to save. His hands and feet were pierced. His garment were divided among the soldiers and lots were cast. Psalm 22 is an actual depiction of the events surrounding the cruxificion of Christ. Do you think Jesus understood Psalm 22 as referring to himself? Yes, Jesus knew His purpose for coming. He was born with all knowledge and power and may well have called for David to pen this psalm through the uction of the Holy Spirit. Why do you think the Spirit inspired David to pen these words? So that when the events prophesied in this psalm came to fruition, people would know that Christ was the Messiah. The psalm should be taken literally in its entirety as it not only foretold of Christ's suffering and death to redeem us from our sins, but of His steadfast love for us who seek the Lord with all of our hearts. The poor will eat and be satisfied, your hearts will live forever.

Why do you think Jesus spoke the words of Psalm 22:1? Because Christ was literally forsaken by God, because He willingly bore our sins so that we may never be forsaken. God punishs sin and because Jesus willingly took our sins upon His shoulders, He was forsaken by God. What was he seeking to express? " But You are Holy, who inhabit the praises of Israel." The love of God demanded that the wages of sin be paid. God's love provided what Holiness demanded. That the cries of believers will always be answered when they ask for deliverance, in spite of their sins, God will never forsake or leave. What was he feeling? He felt what it wasl ike to be scorned and rejected by the very people He had come to save. Yet He still trusted in the Lord. On the basis of His past relationship of love from a Father to a Beloved Son, He appealed to God to draw near in this His hour lonely suffering. How did God answer his plea? "You have answered me. For He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him, but has listened to his cry for help." The suffering of Jesus is over. He has exchanged the cross for the crown. Down through the ages, the good news will be passed from one generation to another with praise and thanksgiving that Christ paid the ultimate price for our redemption. "Posterity will serve Him; future generations will be told of the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn- for he has done it."

Why do you think that Jesus asked the Pharisees about verse 1, "If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" The scribes had always taught that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. As David's Lord, He would be divine, as David's son, He would be human. What point was Jesus making? Jesus used verse 1 in an attempt to get the Pharisees to see that He as the Messiah was to be David's Lord, not merely a descendant. How does Jesus combine the roles of Warrior-King and Priest in his ministry to us and to this world? We as God's children will have an eternal High Priest. Jesus as uncorrupted kingship and spiritual priesthood would refresh and reinvigorate us by the ministry of the Spirit. The Lord Jesus is God's right hand, and He shall execute the kings in the day of His wrath. How do you reconcile the violence suggested in verses 5-6 with Jesus as "Prince of Peace"? God has vowed that the Messiah would be a Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek who was both a King and a Priest. Melchizedek appointment to Priest was not an inherited one, but a solomn appointment by God. as a king of righteousness and peace.

What does Psalm 2 teach us about Yahweh's "anointed" king? This psalm teachs us that God's anointed king is proclaimed by the Lord's decree. He will be all powerful, and given reign over all the earth as His inheritance from the Father. As is written in the Lamb's book of life, He will exercise His authority to save or destroy you according to your works, your praise, your faith and belief in Him and your proclaimimg Him as Redeemer Lord and King. Why do you think the apostles saw this passage as referring to Jesus the Messiah? Because of the covenant that God established with David. The kingdom would start with David , but it would never end. The prophets spoke of the Davidic Messiah, the One who would rule over all and forever on His throne. The apostles also heard God proclaim Jesus as His Beloved Son, had witnessed His resurrection, and had first hand experience with all the miracles he performed. Through the uction of the Holy Spirit, Jesus's identity was revealed to Peter in Matthew 16:15-16; Jesus asked the disciples who they believed He was, and Peter replied, " You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." What does the passage teach about the importance of submission to Jesus the Christ before it is too late? He will rule with a rod of iron, punishing rebellion, as it occurs. There will be zero tolerance for wrongdoing. To refuse Him, means destruction whereby trust brings safety and happiness.

Psalm 117 From all that dwell below the skies Let the Creator's praise arise: Let the Redeemer's name be sung Through every land by every tongue. Eternal are thy mercies Lord; Eternal truths attend thy word; Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore Till suns shall rise and set no more. Isaac Watts

(Psalm 117 and Lamentations 3:22-23). Why are love and trustworthiness so important as the bedrock of the Old Testament faith? When Israel says "Great is his love" thay are thinking of wwhat He has done for them. " I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt." When Israel say faithfulness (trustworthiness) , they are thinking of His great love that endures forever. They can trust that in times of trouble he will hide them and set them high upon a rock because He is their Redeemer. What kinds of terms does the New Testament use to talk about these characteristics? The cross and the resurrection. Can you think of any New Testament verses that speak of these themes? Romans 15:11 Gentiles are called to praise the Lord for His merciful kindness and enduring truth. Acts 17:25 And he is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because he gives hinself to all men life, breath and everything else.

Which aspects of God's character mentioned in Psalm 145 stand out to you in particular? His goodness and righteousness. His goodness and righteousness extends to all without prejudice or discrimination. He is compassionate to all of His children without exception. Why is it important for "every creature," every human being, to praise him? God protects and provides for His children who are burdened down with the cares of life. He lifts up those who have given in to the pressures and problems of this world. We all look to Him in dependence and expectation and He provides us with what is needed. With no greater effort than opening His hand He is able to meet the needs of all of His children. He invites us to cast our cares on Him and He tenderly and lovingly watch over those of us who love Him. What are you doing to help that happen? We are our brothers keeper. This does not mean just physically , but emotionally and spiritually as well. Just as God loves and protects us, we must tell others of God's love and goodness. I teach Sunday School, Bible Study, do workplace witness and every where I go, I constantly give God praise, honor and glory. I try always lift Christ up, but sometimes, I get so bogged down with meaningless things, doing God's work with my hands, but not with my heart. So pray for me to seek God first to determine what He wants me to do, so that although I'm doing busy work for God, it may not be needful or neccessarily the work He has planned for me.

Which aspects of God's character mentioned in Psalm 145 stand out to you in particular? His goodness and righteousness. His goodness and righteousness extends to all without prejudice or discrimination. He is compassionzate to all of His children without exception. Why is it important for "every creature," every human being, to praise him? God protects and provides for His children who are burdened down with the cares of life. He lifts up those who have given in to the pressures and problems of this world. We all look to Him in dependence and expectation and He provides with what is needed. With no greater effort than opening His hand He is able to meet the needs of all of His children. He invites us to cast our cares on Him and He tenderly and lovingly watch over those of us who love Him. What are you doing to help that happen? We are our brothers keeper. This does not mean just physically , but emotionally and spiritually as well. Just as God loves and protects us, we must tell others of God's love and goodness. I teach Sunday School, Bible Study, do workplace witness and every where I go, I constantly give God praise, honor and glory. I try always lift Christ up, but sometimes, I get so bogged down with meaningless things, doing God's work with my hands, but not with my heart. So pray for me to seek God first to determine what He wants me to do, so that although I'm doing busy work for God, it may not be needful or neccessarily the work He has planned for me.

Which one or two aspects of God's character mentioned in this Psalm stand out to you? Verses 8-9 " The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, anounding in love. He will not always accuse nor will he harbor His anger forever." He guides, protects and provides for us every step of the way, even if we are disobedient, rebelloius, complaining, He tolerates a lot from us before His anger flares. His mercy is steadfast in spite of the ingratitude He gets from us. Why do you think the Exodus was so foundational in Israel's understanding of God? The mercy and kindenss of God is aptly demonstrated in His dealings with Israel especially in the exodus from Egypt. During this trip to the Promised Land, God showed His ways to Moses, but His acts of mercy and graciousness to the people of Israel by His protection, provision and promise. He shared with Moses His plans and purposes, but the people saw the physical aspects of those plans and God's purpose. According to Psalm 103:10-12, what are the limits to God's forgiveness? There are no limits to God's forgiveness. His plans for our salvation is immeasurable. Just as we can't determine the size of the universe that we live in, because we are talking about infinite distance, that is exactly how far He has removed our transgressions from us. The beleiver and his sins shall never meet. Those sins have been put out of God's sight forever by the miracle of His love for us.

I chose to meditate on Psalm 96 because daily I am a witness of how truly awesome God is. I know how he keeps and protects me and all those I hold dear. He has put a new song in my heart and I praise Him all day every day and night. He doesnt have to do anything extraordinary, I praise Him just because I love Him. He inhabits the praises of His people and I will continually give praise, honor, glory and majesty to a deserving and worthy of all my praise God.

How do verses 1-2 establish the Lord's right as King? The Lord owns the earth, He founded it, everything it it belongs to Him. It was chaos and He created order. What do verses 3-6 tell us about the requirements of the King? God created a special holy place where he promised to meet with His people in a special way. But in order to meet with Him in His Holy place required right living, right thinking, a right relationship with Him and also a right relationship with your fellow man. These things were a righteousness which can only be received, not acheived,: things which our God who saves from sin, gives to those who humbly seek Him. Seeking is a humble longing for God, this is the basic requirement for those of us who will come to meet with Him in His special holy place. What do verses 7-10 tell us about the glory of the King? Central to God's plan is the remaking of His people. If we feel the need and long for the privilege of being remade and recruited in God's army, He calls us to meet meet Him in His special holy place. To that place, He comes as King of glory, the Lord mighty in battle, for He has delcared war on the forces of destruction. How does this psalm speak to you in your situation? Jesus is our King of glory. He has paid the price, for our redemption. If we humbly seek Him, ask Him to be Lord over our lives, we will receive blessing from the Lord.

In this psalm, the nation is going through some kind of crisis. How does memory of God's deliverance in verses 1-3 prepare them for the prayer of verse 4? They could that as with the original going from the land of captivity, there was much to give thanks for, yet there remained very much land to be possessed. How do you understand the two metaphors of deliverance: (1) a wadi or dry gully and (2) sowing and reaping? Wadis are seasonal streams which flow with the winter rains, but are dry in the summer. Sowing and reaping refers to both hope and patience. Hope is the assurance that if you sow then you will reap a bountiful harvest. But you must wait for the crops to to germinate and grow, so it follows that although sorrow may last for a time, weeping does not necessarily mean that God ignores our sorrow. How do these metaphors help you in your situation? Floods are not what farmlands want or need, they do more harm than good; better that the furrows be watered with tears. We wait with patience and hope and looking to God to do the restoring.

What does it mean to "ascribe" to God attributes of glory and strength? His attributes are like inseparable attendants , they follow Him where ever He goes. Thus honor and majesty precede Him and strength and beauty wait on Him in His sanctuary. Honor and beauty are His escort; worship and magnificence the attendants of His shrine. If we really appreciate the greatness and goodness of God, we will want others to magnify His name. What happens when we fail to ascribe such qualities to him? It is impossible to experience the slightest measure of true joy, if you have not seen God's face or have had a personal relationship with him. It is only by knowing who God is and the attributes ascribed to Him will we know true joy. In what sense is praise to God "fitting" or "worthy"? The Lord is great in power and magnificience as he rules from His throne in Heaven. He is the exalted ruler over all people. We should honor His great and awesome name acknowledging the fact that He is Holy. "Before the Lord: for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with his truth." God searchest the heart, knows what is in the mind of the Spirit and will graciously accept the holy joy and praises of all who wish to be partakers of the kingdom of heaven.

Why is praise difficult in the midst of trying circumstances? It is said that the darkest hour in a man life is always just before the dawning of a new light. That

Psalm 16 meditation. I reflected on my relationship with God. I looked back over my life and all of the times that God has kept me safe from foolish actions on my part. He is my Lord and apart from Him, I can do no good or anything. As we have been studying these psalms, I have gained so much insight. Many of David's psalms fortell the coming, death and resurrection of Christ. Psalm 16 as well as some of the others we have studied may very well have been written by Christ. Many seem to parallel, Jesus's victories and also His suffering. They also give me encouragement and confidence as I study these psalms and the life of David. I can see where God has assigned me my portion and my cup and has made my lot secure. I have a secure inheritance, death no longer has any sting for me, because I have the assured promise of my Lord and Savior that he is at my right hand. As with the thief on the cross beside Jesus, I have been assured of my place at His side in my Father's kingdom. My body rests secure, my heart is glad and my tongue is forever singing praises to my God, He has made my heart glad as I bask in His Holy Presence. Like David, my life may be full of turmoil, but I know the plans God has for me, and my eyes and my heart will not turn to the left or to the right, but stay firmly fixed on my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

After you've studied the psalms in this chapter, what do you think it means to "rest" in God? To rest in God is to is to have absolute faith and trust in God. To lean not into our own understanding, but like the Apostle Paul being content in all our circumstances, because we can do all things through Christ who strenghtens us. How do you seek God's peace when you have a dozen things coming against you? In Exodus 33: 13-17, Moses ask for God's presence to lead his people to Cannan.The Lord graciously promised that His Presence would go with them. The Lord said " My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. Because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." Because we have God's favor and He knows us by name, there is nothing we can't ask of God that He will not be merciful and just to grant us according to His good will. Safety and rest does not consist in the absence of danger, but in the presence of God. He is ever our haven, our refuge in the times of trouble. Lo I am with you always does not mean just in the good times, but in the times of storms as well. So I seek His peace by talking to God and reminding Him of His promises for my life and reflecting on the past and the times of deliverance from past storms knowing my help only comes from God.

How does the imagery of the river and streams in verse 4 function in Psalm 46 to speak peace to the harassed and harried person? Divine grace granted to us through our Redeemer, like a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells, yields refreshment and consulation to believers. This is the river of life, its not affected by tornados, or hurricanes, or storm that buffets us seemingly sometimes on all sides, but remain placid, smoothly flowing, giving never failing nourishment, to all of those who drink forever. Verse 10 tells us: "Be still and know that I am God." How does knowledge of who He is affect our peace? We should look to past salvations to know That God is Lord. Knowing that he has been our deliverer in ages past, and is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble, means that we can sit still , be calm and in perfect peace as we await with patience on God for our safety and protection. How should it affect our words? Knowing that God is with us, and what he has done in ages past, we should be wise and silent, knowing that we are under the protection of a God in covenant who is not only able to help us, but through honor and faithfulness to His promises will help us. Why does He command us to "be still" as a result of this knowledge? As much as we might like to sing praises of God's great and marvelous works, God does not need us to boast of His power and might. He is our Soverign Lord, who can and does great things and will be exalted among the nations and in the earth. " Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, let your glory be all over the earth. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens, your faithfulness reaches to the skies (Psalm 57: 11, 10)."

What does it mean to say to the Lord, "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (31:5)? These were the dying words of our Savior, but they are living words for David. For the plasmist and for us it means to declare our faith in God, that we depend on him for protection and care for us at all times. How does that statement bring peace to a person? When we commit ourselves to God's hand and guardianship, we acknowledge that he is the giver or taker of life, therefore we trust Him and calmly depend on Him for protection against harm and danger in our lives. How does the statement, "My times are in your hands" (31:15), bring peace to the troubled soul? Because God has the ultimate authority and power over life and death for us. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts , therefore he is not concerned nor does he trouble himself over casual or unforseen things that we dread and fear. So he leads us through traps set for us, and preserves the faithful. So we should be strong and take heart and place all our hope in the Lord.