Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
June 16, 2004
Psalm 146
The beginning of the “Hallel” psalms, the “praise” psalms. Each psalm
starts with “praise the Lord” and each psalm ends with “praise the Lord”. The
Hebrew for “praise the Lord” is “Hallelujah”,
or literally, “praise Yah”.
Some have suggested that these last psalms were written by Haggai or
Zechariah after the return from the captivity in Babylon.
:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Lesson
Talking to yourself.
Sometimes it’s important to talk to yourself. Just don’t let anyone catch
you doing it!
(Psa 103:1-5 KJV) A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and
all that is within me, bless his holy name. {2} Bless the LORD, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits: {3} Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who
healeth all thy diseases; {4} Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who
crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; {5} Who satisfieth thy
mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
(Psa 42:5 KJV) Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou
disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of
his countenance.
Here the psalmist tells himself to give God praise.
:2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God
while I have any being.
:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is
no help.
(Psa 146:3 NLT) Don't put your confidence in powerful people; there
is no help for you there.
As the Temple was being
rebuilt, the enemies of Judah
wrote letters of complaint to the king Cyrus and the work had to be stopped for
a time.
Don’t trust in Cyrus, trust in God.
It can get exciting when you are in a place to have to trust in God. When
Ezra was leading his group of people back from Babylon,
he didn’t have a military escort, even though they carried a large sum of money
back to Jerusalem.
(Ezra 8:21-23 KJV) Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might
afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for
our little ones, and for all our substance. {22} For I was ashamed to require
of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the
way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon
all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all
them that forsake him. {23} So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he
was entreated of us.
:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his
thoughts perish.
:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in
the LORD his God:
:6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which
keepeth truth for ever:
God is an awesome God. Who are you praying to?
:7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the
hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
:8 The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are
bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
:9 The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and
widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
:9 he relieveth the fatherless and widow
God cares for the orphans and widows, people who no one else will take care
of. I think this includes single parents and their kids.
:10 Praise ye the LORD.
Hallelujah
:10 The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion,
unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 147
We covered this a week ago on Sunday morning.
Psalm 148
:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in
the heights.
:2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
:3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
:4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the
heavens.
:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were
created.
:6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree
which shall not pass.
:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
:8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
:9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
:10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
:11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the
earth:
:12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent;
his glory is above the earth and heaven.
:14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints;
even of the children of Israel,
a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 149
:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the
congregation of saints.
:2 Let Israel
rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion
be joyful in their King.
:3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him
with the timbrel and harp.
:4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek
with salvation.
:5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
:6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in
their hand;
:7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
:8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
:9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his
saints. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 150
:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the
firmament of his power.
:2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent
greatness.
:3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery
and harp.
:4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed
instruments and organs.
:5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding
cymbals.
:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.