Canvey Methodist Church Bible Study 8th September 2020
September marks the start of a new year in the life of the Methodist Church. It also marks the resumption of Church Services in our building in Waarden Road and what a blessing it has been to gather once again to Worship God last Sunday. I thought that to mark the new Methodist Church year we could study a particular book in the Bible for our Tuesday Bible Studies. This coincided with my taking up an offer made by “Our Daily Bread” Bible Devotions for them to send a study booklet on the Psalms. Having received this and then read through it, I believe that these notes will help us to take a very worthwhile walk through the book of psalms together over the next few weeks of Bible Study reflection.
And so we begin with an Introduction to The Psalms.
More than two thousand years ago, the psalmists composed wonderful songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. Yet they also wrote down their heartfelt cries for help and protection.They poured out their overwhelming fears, guilt, and daily need in raw honesty and desperation.
The psalms were once described as “God's music inspired and written to draw us to grace”. (Ray C Steadman). And so the journey they offer us is one of finding a voice for our own joys and praise; our own pains and sorrows, and of discovering strength and hope in the One who walks with us “through the darkest valley”. (Psalm 23v4)- “4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”.
The hope of the Psalms echoes the central hope of God’s word, God in His Grace and Love is with us in Jesus Christ. Time and time again, both in their heartbreaks and in their certainty of deliverance, we meet the Lord Himself. He is the rock the psalmists stood on who continually sustained them. (Psalm 92:12-15. “v12.The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, 15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him”).
And so these ancient words will direct us back to the “One who is our constant companion”, no matter where we find ourselves.Psalm 139v7-8 “7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there if I make my bed in the depths, you are there”).
He is the Shepherd who cares for us; for you and for me. (Psalm 23v1. “ 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing”). who purifies us whiter than snow (Psalm 51v7 “7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow”),
who puts a new song in our mouths (Psalm40v3, “3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him”).
and in whom we find a true hiding place. (Psalm 32:7, “7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance”.)
May God Bless is all as we open His word and drink deeply from the river of life flowing through its pages
First Study - Psalm 8.
Psalm 8[a]- For the director of music. According to gittith.[b] A psalm of David.
1 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory. in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants. you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?[c]
5 You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e] and crowned them[f] with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands you put everything under their[g] feet:
7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Footnotes
a. Psalm 8:1 In Hebrew texts 8:1-9 is numbered 8:2-10.
b. Psalm 8:1 Title: Probably a musical term
c. Psalm 8:4 Or what is a human being that you are mindful of him, / a son of man that you care for him?
d. Psalm 8:5 Or him
e. Psalm 8:5 Or than God
f. Psalm 8:5 Or him
g. Psalm 8:6 Or made him ruler . . . ; / . . . his
The Universe is an amazing place. We only have to go outside into the darkness of night to see the incredible beauty and vastness of this incredible cosmos; Myriads of stars and galaxies scattered across the skies vault, shining like diamonds displayed on a bed of velvet in a jewellers shop window. All of these objects are in constant motion, orbiting and expanding into infinity, all held together by the mysterious forces of gravity, light and dark matter.
On planet Earth, much of what happens outside our atmosphere passes by unnoticed. Earlier on today, according to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, for instance, an asteroid wider than two professional football fields flew safely past Earth. This space rock, known as asteroid 2020 QL2, was more than 120 meters (393 feet) in diameter, and flew safely past Earth on its orbit around the sun.
The earth too is equally extraordinary, it’s component parts of atmosphere, sea, land, rivers and geology all are interdependent. Teeming with life, the earth is a vibrant and breathtaking place. Against this backdrop of awe inspiring creation, the psalmist expresses his amazement that God, who made it all, should care for people individually.
V4. what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
The commentator “Vernon Grounds”, in writing about this verse called to mind that the 2nd Century Roman philosopher “Celsius” who, in seeking to discredit biblical faith wrote in his book, “True Discourse”, “The root of Christianity is it’s excessive valuation of the human soul and the absurd idea that God takes an interest in man”. Even though Celsius was opposed to Christianity he was “bang on” the truth of the matter here! It does indeed seem absurd that the Almighty Creator would take such a deep personal interest in mere mortals, the inhabitants of planet Earth! Yet that is the very heart of the gospel. The Bible reveals that we are made in the image of God. (Genesis 1 26: “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea, and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground”). And tied to every one of us is the price-tag of Calvary. So when we look at these matters through Christ’s eyes, we see that he values us even though we are sinners. Why else would the Saviour die for us? There is no room for human pride- every bit of our worth comes from a God. Yet scripture assured us that God cares for you, me and all the earth’s billions of people. (Luke 12:6-7: Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows).
(John 3 v16: For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”).
Paul wrote in Galatians2v20 “Christ……..loved me and gave himself for me.
If any of us doubt our worth as people, Psalm 8 and all of these following texts are meant for us. His immeasurable sacrifice tells us that we are of great worth. We have all been bought at great price and are held in the loving embrace of Almighty God.
May God fill our hearts with wonder, love and praise as we consider the work of His hands and offer our own lives in service to His kingdom of love.
Points to Ponder?
How would you describe your value?
Who can you help grasp where true value is to be found?
Next Week: Psalm 23.
Prayer: I am so grateful that I am valued by you Lord. Amen.
Qu? Would you like to have these bible studies by Zoom so that we can share comments together?
God Bless
Colin