As I mentioned last Sunday, I'm finishing up a One Chapter a Day study of Psalms 101-150 from Good Morning Girls.
Although I love working on more in-depth Bible studies, these
simpler ones are also a blessing to do. In fact, once I finish this GMG
Psalms study, I hope to begin the one that preceded it for Psalms 51-100, then maybe tackle a more in-depth study of
Psalms from the The Daily Grace Co. But we will see. I don't want to get ahead of myself.
I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method. I find this method a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, so I hope you'll give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or praise for what it means to you.
This study also includes a reflection question for
each passage. Sometime I answer this in my study, and sometimes not.
Most often, when I do answer it, I'll do so right after the SOAP part.
S= "Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good. Sing praises unto His name, for it is pleasant.
" For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
"Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth; in the seas, and, and all deep places.
" He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth: He maketh lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of His treasuries. ". (Psalm 135:3, 5-7)
O= C.I. Scofield titled this psalm " The true God contrasted with idols" -- and if we look down at verses 15-18 we see a very accurate description of "the idols of the nations". In contrast, verses 5-14 describe the one true God. Verses 1-3 instruct the servants of the Lord to praise His name.
In The Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon points out that this psalm "is mainly made up of selections from other Scriptures. It has been called a mosaic, and compared to a tesselated pavement."
He then goes on to list all of the Scriptures referenced in this psalm. These come from other psalms; from Deuteronomy; from Exodus; and from Jeremiah. (I'm not going to write them all out, but if you're interested in the references, let me know in a comment and I will see that you get them.)
Another note from Spurgeon that was a blessing to my study: "The whole Psalm is a compound of many choice extracts, and has all the continuity and freshness of an original poem. The Holy Spirit occasionally repeats Himself; not because He has any lack of thoughts or words, but because it is expedient for us that we hear the same things in the same form. Yet, when our great Teacher uses repetition, it is usually with instructive variations, which deserve our careful attention."
Several cross=references are given for these verses:
For "the LORD is good" -- "Thou art good, and doest good: teach me Thy statutes.". (Psalm 119:68)
For "Whatsoever the LORD pleased" -- "But our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased." (Psalm 115:3)
For "He maketh lightnings" -- "To make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth the waters by measure. When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder." (Job 28:25-26)
-- "Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of the thunder." (Job 38:25)
For "His treasuries" -- "When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries." (Jeremiah 51:16)
Spurgeon gives a great summary of this psalm in The Treasury of David.
He writes: " The first fourteen verses contain an exhortation to
praise Jehovah for His goodness (v.3), for his electing love (v. 4); His
greatness (v. 5-7); His judgments (v. 8-12); His unchanging character
(v. 13); and His love towards His people. This is followed by a
denunciation of idols (v. 15-18); and a further exhortation to bless the
name of the LORD. "
A= We can praise the Lord for the exact same things that Spurgeon mentions here. We can praise Him for His goodness, for His electing love, for His greatness, for His judgments, for His unchanging character, and for His love for us as His people. We can also renounce idols and work at recognizing and eliminating idols in our lives. (Should readers be interested in a study on this topic, I highly recommend More Than Anything, from the Daily Grace Co. It will really help you in identifying idols that may be in your life.)
P= "Lord, how I thank and praise You not only for Your wonderful Word, but for Who You are. Your character never changes! We can count on you to be the same yesterday, today, and forever. I praise You for that and for so much more. I praise You for Your greatness, for Your enduring and righteous judgments, and for Your love for Your people, just to name a few things. I pray that You will help me to turn from any idols in my life and to worship You alone. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen."
The reflection question notes that we praise God not only because He is God, but because He is good -- and that one of the ways we praise God is through song. "Singing is pleasant and is a comfort to our souls. What is your favorite worship song and why is it your favorite?"
My answer: Another benefit of singing is that it helps us to remember the truths of God's Word and to rehearse those truths along with recalling and rehearsing all that He has done in our lives -- and all that He continues to do each day.
I don't really have a favorite worship song. I have many favorites among the songs and hymns that we sing in church.
Spurgeon says of this psalm: "It is a song full of life, vigor, variety, and devotion." Maybe Psalm 135 should be my favorite worship song!
I agree with your thoughts about having a favorite worship song...I also have so many favorites among the hymns and songs that we sing, it would be difficult to narrow it down to one favorite. Just like this Psalm speaks to so many situations in our spiritual lives, so do the hymns. I am thankful for the great hymn writers of old who wrote their songs based on the Scriptures, and especially the Psalms. They help us carry the message of the Scriptures into our every day lives as we sing God's praises. This was an excellent lesson today. Thank you!!
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