PSALM 33 Reading Guide August 18 24, 2013
PSALM 33 2 PSALM 33 1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.
PSALM 33 3 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
PSALM 33 4 DAY 1 Read through Psalm 33 once writing down what you find interesting, what you find helpful, and what you don t fully understand. Read through the notes on Psalm 33 in the ESV Study Bible*. Write at least one paragraph highlighting what you learned from the study notes. According to the ESV Study Bible notes on Psalm 33, This is a hymn of praise to God who made all things, who rules all things for His own purposes, and who has chosen a people to be His own for the sake of the whole world. The words of Psalm 33 praise God for who He is and what He does. Henry Lyte s hymn, Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven, does that as well. Praise, my soul, the King of heaven, To his feet thy tribute bring; Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, Who like me, his praise should sing? Praise the everlasting King. Praise him for his grace and favor To our fathers in distress; Praise him still the same for ever, Slow to chide, and swift to bless; Glorious in his faithfulness. Father-like, he tends and spares us; Well our feeble frame he knows; In his hands he gently bears us, Rescues us from all our foes; Widely as his mercy goes. Angels, help us to adore him; Ye behold him face to face; Sun and moon, bow down before him, Dwellers all in time and space. Praise with us the God of grace.
PSALM 33 5 DAY 2 Read Psalm 33 again, focusing on verses 1-3. The Psalmist uses two words in verse 1 to refer to God s people: righteous and upright. These are words that are rightly used of God. They are also words that we often qualify or justify when used of us. Yet, these are words the Psalmist uses to describe God s people. If you are a believer in Jesus, these are words God uses to describe you. Not because of your perfection or penance, but because of the steadfast love of the Lord (v. 5) seen in the person and work of Jesus. As Paul explains in Romans 5:8, God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The benefits of God s salvation both from sin and death and those experienced in God s daily provision for those who trust in Him are celebrated in verses 18-19. Read verses 18-19 and write down some of the ways you ve recently experienced the salvation described in those verses. In verse 3 the Psalmist encourages God s people to sing to Him a new song. That s not a new composition, but a song in response to a new experience of God s love and grace. Write out a new song to sing (or shout!) to the Lord, a prayer of praise for the gracious love He s recently lavished upon you. Read your prayer aloud. DAY 3 Read Psalm 33 again, focusing on verses 4-19. The body of the Psalm (verses 4-19) gives reasons for the praise called for in verses 1-3 and the hope spoken in verses 20-22. The ESV Study Bible suggests three summary reasons for the praise and hope: God s word is upright (verses 4-9) God s will prevails (verses 10-12) God s gaze discerns all (verses 13-19) Read through verses 4-9, 10-12, and 13-19 again. Pick out the set of verses that most resonates with you. Read those verses until you have a grasp on the reasons the Psalmist calls forth praise and expresses hope. Based on what you read in that set of verses, write out a prayer of praise to God, praising Him for who He is and what He s done. DAY 4 Read Psalm 33 again, focusing on verses 20-22.
PSALM 33 6 In verses 20-22 the Psalmist expresses hope in God, based on who God is and what He s done. Review what you ve already written about Psalm 33 this week. Write down the ways Psalm 33 has helped increase your hope in God. Following the example in verses 20-22, write out a prayer to God, expressing your hope in Him and then telling Him the reasons you believe you can hope in Him. Think of someone you know that would be encouraged by hearing of the reasons you hope in God. Find a time to speak to them over the next couple of days, and share the reasons you are hoping in God. DAY 5 Read through Psalm 33 twice. Write out at least two paragraphs reflecting on what you ve learned about God, yourself, and others from Psalm 33. Write out at least one thing you hope to apply to your life from Psalm 33. Spend at least 15 minutes sharing what you wrote with a trusted friend or family member. If they read Psalm 33 this week, ask them to do the same. End your time in prayer, thanking God for what he taught you this week. * Purchasing an ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Bibles, 2008.) will aid you in your understanding of the Psalms. The first day s reading each week assumes you will have access to the notes in the ESV Study Bible. The ESV Study Bible is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published. It will help you understand not just the Psalms, but also the rest of the Bible in a deeper way. You can either buy the Bible (amazon.com, search: ESV Study Bible) or purchase online access to the notes at www.esvbible.org. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2013 Elliot Grudem.