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Adult Mentor: Adult Bible Study. R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
Читать онлайн.Название Adult Mentor: Adult Bible Study
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isbn 9781681677712
Автор произведения R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
Жанр Религия: прочее
Издательство Ingram
III. God’s Word Affects God’s Work
Verse six repeats key words from verse four: “word” and “work” (work comes from the root “to do, to make”). So again, the focus is on God’s Word. God’s Word has creative power. Verses 6 and 9 recall the creation narrative in Genesis 1, and verses 7 and 8 allude to the Exodus. Verse 7 alludes to Exodus 15:8, which says, “At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up, the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea” (NRSV). Verse 8 perfectly captures the response of the Israelites when they saw what God did against the Egyptians—they “feared the Lord” (Exod. 14:31, NRSV). The pronoun “he” is the subject in verses 7 and 9; there is no doubt that it refers to God, the One who is behind it all. He is worthy of all praise and trust.
Key Concepts to Enhance Your Understanding
1. We must praise and trust God as our Creator and Sustainer.
2. We must acknowledge Him in all our ways.
3. We must imitate His righteousness as evidence of our trust and faith in Him.
Dictionary of Terms
•Praise—to offer to God the glory due unto His name for His excellent work.
ACTIVITY
Making It Stick
Share examples of the ways you display praise and trust in God.
Lesson 2
Sing a New Song
LEARNING SESSION
Psalm 96, with its testimony of God’s rule over the earth, is part of a grouping of psalms that focus on the reign of God (see Ps. 93; 95–99). These psalms are sometimes categorized as “enthronement psalms” because they speak of God’s eternal kingship. This psalm and the larger group of enthronement psalms appear in a section of the book of Psalms (Book IV, Ps. 90–106) that seems to be organized to deal with the theological crisis of the Babylonian exile in 587 B.C.
The theological crisis is expressed in many of the psalms that precede this section (Book III, Ps. 73–89). Such psalms painfully related doubts about Israel’s core beliefs (the central role of Jerusalem and the Davidic kingdom in God’s plan, for example). But Psalm 96, along with the other enthronement psalms, reminded those who doubted God was still in control, that God is the one who “made the heavens” (96:5, KJV) and therefore, He is able to secure the future for His people.
LESSON SCRIPTURES:
PSALM 96:1–6, 10–13
DISCUSSION POINTS:
EXPOSITION
I. Sing God’s Praises
Psalm 96:1–9 calls all people of the earth and indeed the earth itself to sing praise to God and to worship Him. This section of the psalm is dominated by imperatives that call forth that praise: “sing to the Lord;” “tell of his salvation;” “declare his glory;” “ascribe glory and strength;” and “worship the LORD.” The opening call to sing a “new song” does not elicit a song with fresh lyrics or music, but a song with universal scope that declares the extent of God’s sovereignty. Such a song is new in that it breaks out of the category of space and time and embraces all things. Although the song appears on the lips of God’s people who worship in the temple, it recognizes God’s guidance of and reign over all creatures. The psalmist has said, “O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day” (Ps. 96:1–2, KJV). God deserves a new song every day His people live on the earth with all its wonderful resources that are able to sustain life upon it. God is the One who makes all things new. That is why Israel feels compelled to call upon all the earth to sing a new song. For God is not only the Creator, He keeps on recreating. The people of God have lots of reasons to come up with a lot of new songs to sing anew to God every day of their existence upon the face of this earth. It was true in the time of Israel in the Old Testament, and it is still very true today in the New Testament Church.
KEY VERSE
O sing unto the LORD a new song; sing unto the LORD, all the earth.
(Psalm 96:1, KJV)
THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
• To contemplate creation’s testimony to the majesty of God.
• To experience awe in the presence of God’s creation. And to praise God wholeheartedly in corporate and individual acts of worship.
• To declare God’s supremacy to all the world.
In our day, Christians should renew our praise to God for His continual care and goodness in our lives. And we must learn new songs to sing to God, for He is truly worthy to be praised. Jesus Christ loves His people in a very special manner by giving them His joy, peace, and ever-enduring mercies for their survival in an uncaring and merciless world. Now when the people of God have the true peace of Jesus Christ deep in their hearts, then they can have great joy in their walk of faith upon this earth. There is too much disorder in the lives of some Christians today because they have not yet let God’s peace fully develop in their lives and totally control all aspects of their existence. The devil will come in and try to steal a child of God’s joy, peace, happiness, and glory. In the worst times of a person’s life when the storms of life are raging around them, it is the peace of Jesus Christ that will save them from destruction. It is God who gives great peace in a Christian’s stormy existence so that they can glorify God. The psalmist knew this and declared in song praises to God. When we become aware of God’s constant presence and power in our lives we should, like the psalmist, give God our praise as well. He is worthy of all of our praise not only because of who He is, but also because of what He does.
#ShoutAnew. Discuss why it is appropriate to give God a “Shout-Out” constantly. Share your thoughts and tag us @rhboydco and use rhboydco.
II. Praise God Above All
The reason for the praise the psalm evokes is the identification of God as the one true Lord of heaven and earth, the Maker of all things (vv. 4–6). The song originated in a time and place in which many deities were recognized. Every nation had its own gods and claimed them to have sovereignty. The Babylonians, for example, declared that their chief deity, Marduk, created the earth and ruled over it. Psalm 96:5 declares, however, that Marduk and other gods are merely idols. That is, the images that represented them were the extent of their reality. Only God was real and powerful and therefore worthy of praise. With this claim, Psalm 96 stands close to the prophet Isaiah, who proclaims