Sunday Scripture

 

Regular readers know I've been posting each Sunday for several months about a simple study of Psalms that I worked on throughout summer 2020.  It was a perfect study to be working on amid the uncertainties of that year -- and some of it was done sitting at picnic tables while camping in the midst of God's glorious creation.  There just couldn't have been a better backdrop --so awe-inspiring, and so many great reminders of God's amazing power and wisdom.

Although the study book covers all the rest of the book of Psalms, I only got as far as Psalm 129, so today's post will be the last in this series.  I'm not sure if I will continue these Sunday posts, but I may -- possibly with an Advent study I've previously completed.  We will see.

This Psalms study is another 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 the GMG Psalms study, I hope to tackle a more in-depth study of the same Psalms,  from the The Daily Grace Co.

 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.

Today's study is from Psalm 129.  Today we were to focus on verse 8, but I chose to look closely at verses 4-6 along with verse 8.

S= "The LORD is righteous; He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
"Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
"Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth before it groweth up.
"Neither do they which go by say, the blessing of the LORD be upon you; we bless you in the name of the LORD."  (Psalm 129:4-6, 8)

O=  In the Scofield Reference Bible, C.I. Scofield has titled this chapter "A plea from the persecuted."  Israel has been afflicted by her enemies from the beginning.  Yet Israel's enemies had not completely defeated the nation.  A cross-reference to verse 2 (which states, "Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me") is Jeremiah 1:19 -- "They shall fight against thee, but shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee."  Here in verse 5 the psalmist is praying that his enemies will be confounded and turned back and that God would withhold His blessing from them.

A=  It's good to know that although our enemies may fight against us, since God is with us, He will not allow them to prevail against us. 
       We're in a difficult situation as a country.  The enemies of freedom are at the door and pushing hard to get in.  We pray that the Lord will confound them and turn them back -- and, as God's people, we know that He is with us and our enemies cannot prevail against us.

P=  "Lord, I pray that You will confound the enemies of freedom who desire to put our country in bondage.  I pray that You will turn them back and prevent them from their evil intents.  I pray that in Your grace and mercy you may bring their efforts to nothing.  I praise You that You are the righteous God and that You always act in righteousness.  I thank You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

And that's the last post in our Psalms study for now!  I hope to be back with another Scripture series (or eventually a continuation of this one) fairly soon.