SERVANTS (PSALM 113)

God is the great and exalted Creator and Lord, who lowers himself to serve the needy.

• The Servant-God (vv. 1-9)

• The Suffering Servant (John 1:1-18; Isaiah 52-53; Matthew 20:28)

• Servants of the Lord (v. 1; Matthew 20:26-27)

Discussion Starters

Monday—What does it mean that God is above the nations and above the heavens? (v. 4) Why is it essential to understand his glory in order to understand him?

Tuesday—How does God show himself to be a servant in Psalm 113? Why is this essential for understanding him?

Wednesday—How did Jesus show himself to be a servant? Was being a servant something he did or who he is?

Thursday—How does understanding God’s character as a servant help us to understand the deity of Jesus? Could Jesus claim to be the God of Israel and not lower himself to serve his people?

Friday—Why does verse 1 refer to the hearers as “servants”? How does God’s identity as servant shape your identity and calling?

THE END OF WISDOM (PSALM 112 | 2 CORINTHIANS 9:9)

Jesus, as the embodiment of wisdom, is the truly blessed man who receives an eternal and unshakable inheritance, which he shares with all who take refuge in him.

• Understanding Wisdom and Blessings

• Who is the Wise and Blessed Man?

• Finding our Wisdom and Blessing in Jesus

Discussion Starters

Monday—What is biblical wisdom? How is wisdom literature in the Bible to be understood? What are ways you should not read it?

Tuesday—Who is the blessed man in Psalm 112? How do you know? How does that shape the way you read and understand this psalm? How does is help or guard you?

Wednesday—What is the danger of reading blessings as commands or conditions? Where would reading them that way lead?

Thursday—Do passages like this tell Christians that they are blessed in Jesus or have the potential for being blessed? Does that mean that all the blessings described here are immediate?

Friday—What does it mean that God will remember you forever? (v. 6) If he was never in danger of forgetting you, why does he need to tell you that you are not forgotten?

A God you can control offers no comfort, but a God who can control history is the only refuge for sinners.

• God’s Works Reveal God (vv. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8)

• God’s Works Should Lead Us to Humility (vv. 1-2, 5, 7-8, 10)

• God’s Greatest Work (Luke 1:49, 68; John 6:29)

Discussion Starters

Monday—How do people try to avoid seeing God for who he really Is? Why does his power and majesty scare us? What are some ways we attempt to control him?

Tuesday—How do God’s works reveal who he is? Think about some of his great works in history. What do they tell you about him?

Wednesday—How do God’s great works show you that his both righteous and merciful? Why are both important?

Thursday—What is God’s greatest work in history? How does Jesus show us that he is the God of Psalm 111?

Friday—What is “the fear of God”? What are some appropriate responses to who God truly is?

David mistakenly accuses God of abandoning him in his darkest hour, something Christ willing endures in order that he might draw near to his people in love and save them.

• David’s Accusation Against God (vv. 1-18)

• David’s Confession of Yahweh’s Love (vv. 19-31)

• Abandoned by God (Matthew 27:46)

• Discerning Yahweh’s Presence in Affliction

Discussion Starters

Monday—Do you have nicknames for anyone? Are they people you are close to or those you barely know? How does our use of names reect how close we are to someone or how we are feeling about that person at a particular time? How does David’s refusal to call God Yahweh in the first 18 verses show how he is feeling?

Tuesday—What is David’s basic state of mind in the beginning of this Psalm? Does he feel like he has been treated fairly or unfairly? Do you ever feel that way?

Wednesday—What changes in verse 19 (and following)? Why is David more optimistic and content? Have his circumstances changed? Has God changed? What has? Have you ever had an experience like that?

Thursday—How does God respond to the accusations that David makes in his hurt and anger? Do you treat others that way when they speak to you in hurt and anger?

Friday—How does Psalm 22 call you to understand afiction in your life? Is it proof that God does not love you or that he has abandoned you? Are there ways in which we can even say that suffering is necessary? How?

Because of his willingness to suffer for you, Jesus has been exalted above all others and will rule in the midst of his enemies until the final day and calls you to freely offer yourself wholly to him in gratitude for all he has done.

• David and Melchizedek (vv. 1-2, 4-7; Genesis 14:17-20)

• Jesus, the Greater David (Matthew 22:44; Mk 12:36; Lk 20:42; Acts 2:29-36)

• Between Resurrection and Consummation (vv. 3-4; Romans 8:17)

Discussion Starters

Monday—Is Psalm 110 familiar to you? In what ways? Why do you think it is quoted so many times in the New Testament?

Tuesday—How was this psalm a fitting psalm to be sung at David’s coronation? What does it tell us about his life before becoming king and what to expect after he became king?

Wednesday—Who was Melchizedek? Why does God us Melchizedek as a model for David as be becomes king in Israel?

Thursday—How is Psalm 110 fulfilled in Jesus? Why must be both king and priest? Is there temptation to want him as king (rule), but not as priest (suffering)? Why?

Friday—What should God’s people expect between Jesus’ resurrection and his return? (v. 2) What does it mean to freely offer yourself to him while you wait? (v. 3)

While we await God’s justice on the Last Day, we must be on guard against those in the church who might be working against it, removing them and raising up others to take their place, for the sake of God’s honor.

• David and His Betrayer (vv. 1-25, 27, 30-31)

• Jesus and His Betrayer (v. 8, 28; Acts 1:15-26)

• The Church and Her Betrayers (vv. 27-29)

Discussion Starters

Monday—What is an imprecatory psalm? Do they make you uncomfortable? If so why?

Tuesday—Have you ever been betrayed by someone you trust and have shown love? How do you think David felt when one of his officers did that to him?

Wednesday—How did this officer’s betrayal affect the people of Israel? How is that worse than if this were simply a personal betrayal of David? How does God feel about leaders mistreating his people?

Thursday—What was Judas’ sin? How did he view his position of authority? Why do you think the apostles chose to quote Psalm 109 about him?

Friday—How does it make you feel when leaders in the church use their authority for their own glory and gain? How does Psalm 109 help us understand how to deal with those who do?

The fact that any good happens to man is not a result of man’s worthiness, but of God’s gracious love and his willingness to suffer for those whom he loves.

• David’s Glory and Shame (vv. 3-8)

• Christ’s Shame and Glory (Hebrews 2:6-9)

• Sleepless Nights (vv. 1-3, 7-8, 19)

Your greatest strength is that you belong to God.

• Chosen and Consecrated (vv. 4-8)

• Calling and Commission (vv. 1-5, 9-13)

• Cruciformity and Courage (vv. 1-3, 7-8, 19)

Discussion Starters

Monday—How do you typically answer the question “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” Do you like this question? Why or why not?

Tuesday—Is it fair that God chose Jeremiah and called him to be a prophet with out Jeremiah’s permission? What does it mean that we are “…living in the middle of a story that was begun and will be concluded by another”?

Wednesday—What did God expect from prophets? What didn’t he expect? Even though you’re not a prophet, how does this help you know what God does and doesn’t expect from you?

Thursday—What is “cruciformity”? What does it mean that God is shaping you by his word? What does the finished product look like?

Friday—What leads you to fear as you face the road ahead? What is God’s cure for your fear?