Psalm 101 Study Notes

Hello everyone, I am starting something new this week. As many of you already know I teach Bible studies at the Dawson St. Jail, but I also teach a Wed. night Bible class called, "CSI-Christ Scene Investigators" at our church. So, what I thought I would do is post my personal notes of preparation as I go. This week we are beginning Psalm 101. I type up alot of my notes, but some of it I leave for discussion. Please allow me some grace for grammar and form since these are just my notes, but please feel free to take in what the Lord shows me. Again this will be an ongoing study and here is what I have for us to start with for tomorrow night.

1. I will sing of mercy and justice to You; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises.

As we saw in Psalm 100 it is good and profitable to sing to the Lord. This is a psalm of King David, and if the king can sing to the Lord how much more can the royal subjects. We can see here that it is the glory of this king to lift up the Lord Most High, who is the King of kings. This Psalm has been entitled, “The godly purposes and resolves of a king,” and “Speculum Regis,” a mirror for kings. Matthew Henry calls it “The Householders Psalm.” “In it David gives us the rules which he laid down for the regulation of his household and court. In this aspect the Psalm has a universal application; for the principles which are good in a palace are good also in a cottage, and the virtues which adorn a peasant’s humble household will increase the luster of a king’s brilliant court.”-commentary

How beautiful it is to fill both home and office with songs to the Lord. How wonderful it is to invite the Lord into the places that we spend the most of our years. The Bible teaches us that the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. We literally attract the Lord with singing. How cool is that?
This Psalm is believed to have been written sometime not to long after Saul’s death and David’s coronation as King of Israel. It makes sense that David would be giving thanks to the Lord because If you will remember David was anointed king as a teenager and had been pretty much running from Saul for the better part of ten or so years while God formed David into a mighty warrior and king. Finally, David is on the throne and ready to start his official duties of uniting and protecting the country, instead of being chased around the wilderness by a madman of a king, Saul. David can now sing of the justice and mercy of God because God, true to His word, has now made good on His promise that David would be king. Many times David was spared in the wilderness from death with godly counsel and maneuvering. And now justice has been served that God has removed Saul from being king by his death in battle. Thus we have this opening line of the poet, “I will sing…”

Look for more next week if you would like to follow along. I pray it will be a blessing to you.