Introduction: What does it mean, as a practical matter, to
believe in a sovereign God? What would your world view and
your actions be like if you truly believed in an all
powerful, living God? First, you would believe what He
says. If God says He created everything, and you see things
(for example yourself) that you cannot adequately explain,
then you should believe Him. If God says that as Creator He
has a plan for better living, then we should not only
believe, we should follow His plan. If God says that His
rules are important for the continued existence of humans,
and that He will bring judgment on those who rebel against
Him, we should believe Him and try to obey and not rebel.
All of these points are made in our study of the Psalms this
week. Let’s dive in and learn more!
I. Creator God
A. Read Psalm 8:3-4. Who created the heavens? (God!)
1. What does that suggest about God’s love for
us? (As verse four asks, why would such a
powerful figure, who has all sorts of
creations, be concerned about His one
creation?)
2. Years ago I bought a car that my son and I
found while taking a walk. I paid $200 for it.
What a deal! Later, I heard about a lady in
church who needed a car. Reluctantly, I
decided that I must pass my great deal on to
her. Her reaction reflects verse 4: she did
not want my lowly car, and she wanted to know
why a lawyer would buy such a car? I drove
that humble car to work for many years
thereafter. Does this suggest an answer to why
God is concerned about us? (I had little in
that car, Jesus invested everything in us. The
real question is, “Why would He?” The answer
is that He loves us. I love deals!)
B. Read Psalm 8:5-8. What has our Creator God decided
with regard to the ruling order of His creation?
(Not only does God care about us, but He has made
us rulers over His creation. Specifically, He made
us to rule over the earth and the animals.)
C. Read Psalm 100:3-4. What other reactions should we
have to our Creator God? (“We are His people.” We
have a sense of belonging. We should have a sense
of gratitude and thankfulness.)
II. Covenant God
A. Read Psalm 105:7-10. What is the covenant made
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? (Read
Psalms 105:11. God gave them Canaan.)
1. What does that say about those who today wish
to destroy Israel?
B. Read Galatians 3:27-29. Who is the beneficiary of
this ancient covenant? (Everyone who is “baptized
into Christ.”)
1. Does that mean we get land? That Canaan is
ours, too? (Let’s continue reading in Psalm
105.)
C. Read Psalm 105:16-19. How are a famine and Joseph
being enslaved part of the covenant? (Read
Psalm 105:20-24. We begin to see the picture that having
land is just part of the covenant with God. God
creates a way to protect His people from a
famine.)
1. What would you say about the covenant if you
were Joseph? (Psalm 105:19 says that God
tested Joseph. The end of this was that Joseph
became the “ruler of all [Pharaoh’s]
possessions.”)
2. If you know the story, do you think it is fair
to say that “God tested” Joseph? Is it fair to
say that God brought the famine? (Read
Genesis 37:26-28. Satan tempting the brothers to do
evil is the reason for Joseph’s test. The
proper way to look at this is that God
permitted Joseph to be mistreated for a while
to work out an answer to the famine. God
turned into a triumph what Satan planned for
evil.)
D. Read Psalm 119:97-100. What else does God’s
covenant provide? (It makes us wiser than those
who pay no attention to God’s law.)
E. Read Psalm 119:101-105. When the psalmist says
that God’s word “is a lamp to my feet and a light
to my path,” what does that mean as a practical
matter? (God’s word helps us avoid pitfalls and
problems in life. It helps us to avoid being
shamed.)
F. Read Psalm 119:114. Is this like God giving His
people their own country? (He makes them safe in
the face of trouble.)
G. Read Psalms 119:173-176. The psalmist delights in
God’s law. Why is that? (He knows that keeping
God’s rules helps him.)
1. Does this knowledge of the blessings of God’s
law cause the psalmist to perfectly keep the
law? (Not all the time for he admits to having
“gone astray.”)
2. What does the psalmist say God will do when he
goes astray? (God will “seek” His servant.)
H. How would you summarize the advantages of keeping
God’s law? Of entering into covenant with Him?
I. When we speak of keeping God’s laws are we talking
about the key to salvation? (Read Psalms 51:1-2,
and Psalms 51:7-10. This Psalm speaks clearly
about God’s grace.)
J. Read Psalms 103:1-6, Psalms 103:13-14, and
Psalms 103:17-19. What picture of God’s righteousness for
us comes out of these verses?
K. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. What does this tell us
about salvation by grace alone? (The Psalms are
not as clear about grace as are the writings of
Paul. That is to be expected because of the timing
of the Old and New Testaments.)
III. God of Judgment
A. Read Psalm 75:1-3. God says that He will judge
“with equity” at the time that He selects. Why do
you think that God next discusses the instability
of the world? (The impression I get is that God
intervenes to make things right. God steadies
things.)
B. Read Psalms 75:4-7. What two systems of power are
compared here? (On the one hand are the proud and
powerful who are against God. “Your horn”
represents power – as in the animal world. On the
other hand is the judgment of God who promotes one
and demotes another.)
1. Is judgment good? (We don’t want the arrogant
and powerful to rule for there is no moral
standard. Instead, God tells us that He will
execute judgment in accord with how things
should be.)
C. Read Psalms 75:8. What is in store for the wicked?
(God makes them drink “foaming wine … down to
the dregs.”)
1. Is that a good thing? (One reading of this is
“boiling” wine. It is not a good thing.)
2. Notice that the wine is “well-mixed.” What do
you think that means? (I think the judgment is
calibrated to meet the evil done by the
individual who is lost. This is another
argument against eternal burning for all who
are lost. Do you think any crime committed by
a human would justify eternal burning? I do
not.)
3. When the text says the boiling wine is drunk
to the dregs, what does that mean? (Full
judgment. They get what they deserve.)
D. Read Psalms 75:9-10. What does all of this horn
re-arrangement mean? (The wicked lose their power
and the righteous are now in power.)
E. Look again at Psalms 75:9. This is all great news
for the saved who are being abused by the wicked!
Does this show God’s love? (It shows His love for
those who choose Him and God’s love for justice.)
F. Read Psalms 25:15. What do you think it means to
be plucked out of a net? (You are saved from
something that has caught you.)
G. Read Psalms 25:16-18. What is available to the
wicked that shows God’s great love in view of the
coming judgment? (God will forgive us of all our
sins. God gives us a way out of judgment.
H. Read Psalms 25:19-22. Bad people hate God’s
people. What should we do about that? (We ask God
to preserve us while we wait for Him.)
I. Friend, this is great news! Our Creator God
reigns! He will not only be with us, but He will
give us victory and rule in favor of us in His
judgment. In the meantime, will you give this good
news to those who may not know?
IV. Next week: The Lord Hears and Delivers.
Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
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link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.