Read: Psalms 47,65,98,99,103 and 113.
The Psalms are a collection of songs sung by the Israelites in worship from the time period in which the kings ruled. As reflected in the Psalms, the Israelites knew Yahweh as righteous, just, merciful, compassionate, loving, and faithful. He is the Creator of all things. He is sovereign, ruler of the entire cosmos, and judge. Being just, he punishes sin, wickedness, and worshipping the creation instead of the Creator.
- The Psalmist called all of God’s creation to praise and worship him out of love and adoration. Why does the Psalmist do this? See Psalms 67 and 84. What will happen when the entire creation worships God?
- Read Psalms 66:8-12 and 9:7-19. How can the Israelites rejoice from God’s judgment? Why would ‘the nations’ (those who did not worship Yahweh) rejoice from God’s judgment?
- The universal calls to praise are found among other songs which request very particular blessings for the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people and severe punishment for their enemies and ‘the wicked’. How should we understand these seemingly conflicting notions of selective exclusivism vs. universal inclusivism? Nationalism vs. all peoples? Harsh punishment vs. multi-cultural, -national, and -ethnic gatherings of worship in unity?
- The Psalms give us a God-centered perspective of the cosmos, his ordering, and his rule. What other perspectives compete with this understanding of how the world works? How does our perspective influence our purpose, activities, and understanding of God’s mission?