Adult Mentor: Adult Bible Study. R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
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Lesson 1
Word and Works
LEARNING SESSION
Apsalm is a song of praise. It perfectly captures the big picture not only of the Psalms, but also of the Bible: God is in complete control of the world and you can trust Him. This idea of completeness is displayed in the very arrangement of this psalm. It consists of twenty-two lines, which is also the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. God’s comprehensive sovereignty covers every aspect of life from start to finish, from the least to the greatest. The appropriate response to God’s power and presence in the world is trust and praise. Psalm 33 invites those who know and acknowledge who God is to trust and worship Him.
LESSON SCRIPTURES:
Psalm 33:1–9
DISCUSSION POINTS:
I. God Is Worthy to Be Praised
III. God’s Word Affects God’s Work
EXPOSITION
I. God Is Worthy to Be Praised
The people of God should always give praise to the Lord. We should acknowledge just how great God is and how wonderfully He takes care of His entire creation. This is the theme found in the Psalms under today’s study; for the psalmist says, “Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise” (Ps. 33:2–3, KJV). The Lord is an awesome God who creates and gives good things to His creation.
Verse 1 is almost identical to Psalm 32:11, which says, “Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (KJV). Psalm 33 seems to be a continuation or direct response to the previous psalm. There is even an absence of a superscription for Psalm 33, so there is a seamless transition between the two psalms. Psalms 32:11 and 33:1 both address the righteous and the upright and call on them to rejoice. Verse 2 contains the first reference to musical instruments in the Psalms. Praise is to include not only offering one’s self to God, but also one’s musical gifts. The human voice is the most basic and readily available musical instrument. The psalmist encourages the righteous to use their voices in all the ways that it can be used: singing and shouting (see v. 3). The singing of a “new song” is often associated with the celebration of God’s reign (see Ps. 96:1; 98:1; 149:1).
KEY VERSE
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
(Psalm 33:6, KJV)
The command to praise reminds readers that praise is not simply a grateful attitude. Praise is the offering of oneself to God as is appropriate to those who are dependent on Him. As an act of sacrifice, praise describes total abandonment of the self to God. The call to praise instructs the righteous to use all within them to praise, including artful skill, fervent emotion, and the fresh, alive salvation song. Nothing is held back in praise.
The people of God can shout about the goodness, greatness, and generosity that God continually displays towards His followers. His loyal-love creates goodness of heart in men and in women. God’s Word works quietly, continuously, unnoticed, like a flow of thought and a movement of power in human lives. For Christians, it is most important to recognize that God is on their side. The Word of God is there to tell them that God is good to them and Jesus Christ will always keep His people safe in the world today.
Christians should study God’s Word very closely so that we will be able to give God all praise and glory for His marvelous work in creating this world. He will not allow Satan to bind His children up in a world full of confusion. God wants His people free to be all we should be and to do great and wonderful works in His Kingdom. The psalmist best sums up this concept of the victory that is in God when he wrote that “the LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee” (Ps. 145:9–10, KJV).
THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
• To acknowledge and trust God as the just and loving Creator of heaven and earth.
• To rejoice and trust in God’s Word and work in creation and praise Him.
• To advocate God’s goodness to the world.
II. God Loves Righteousness
Beginning at verse four, the psalmist gives reasons why God should be praised. God’s Word and work are the first reasons. Both words reflect the nature and characteristics of God. He is truthful and faithful. Elsewhere in the Psalms, God is described as “upright” (see Ps. 25:8; 92:15, KJV). As mentioned before, the psalmist also refers to God’s people as “upright” (Ps. 33:1, KJV), which suggests that they derive their identity from God. God’s love for righteousness and justice is evidenced by the earth being “full of the goodness of the LORD” (v. 5, KJV). The people of God should praise the Lord for all His righteousness and goodness toward them. Worship is called for based on the truth of Yahweh’s word, acts, and nature. Faithful and upright trusting people worship God, who is upright in word and faithful in the exercise of His power.
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The Word of God shows forth His love to all of His creation. The psalmist puts it like this, “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD” (Ps. 33:4–5, KJV). It was God’s Word that originally moved upon the nothingness of the earth to create the world that God’s people inhabit (see Gen. 1).
God judges in righteousness and in all love to ensure His people do well and have all the things that they need to exist. God’s nature ensures that His people will always have His love and care. God is always true to His Word and He will never break His promises and His covenant with His people. Christians can rest in the assurances from God’s Word to know that He will always be on our side to keep us protected. This is why it is so very important that the followers of Jesus Christ always read, study, and abide by the Word