Summer in the Psalms - ?'s to Consider

With excitement, we enter into a new study of God's Word on Sunday morning.  We will be diving into the rich poetry of the Psalms.  As we learned last Sunday in our introduction of the Psalms, there are certain things to consider when reading and studying this genre of Scripture.  I have discovered a list of ten questions compiled by Dr. W. Robert Godfrey.  May these questions aid in your enhanced study of God's Word and appreciation for the beauty of the Truth found in the Psalms.

1.   What details in this psalms - words, historical references, ideas - seem to require further study?

2.  Which of the great themes of the Psalter do I find in this individual psalm...

• God's goodness and unfailing love for the righteous
• the sinfulness of the righteous
• the mystery of the success of the wicked in God's providence
• the mystery of the suffering of the righteous in God's providence
• the confidence in God and in the future despite present suffering

3.  What human responses do I find in this psalm?

4.  Is the character of the psalm primarily individual or communal?

5.  What are some formal poetic features of the poem I am studying, and how do these features illumine its meaning?

6.  Is the central verse of the psalm the heart of its meaning?

7.  How does the individual psalm I am studying relate to the structure and primary character of the book in which it is found...

• Book 1 - Psalms 1-41 - The King's Confidence in God's Care
• Book 2 - Psalms 42-72 - The King's Commitment to God's Kingdom 
• Book 3 - Psalms 73-89 - The King's Crisis over God's Promises
• Book 4 - Psalms 90-106 - The King's Comfort in God's Faithfulness
• Book 5 - Psalms 107-150 - The King's Celebration of God's Salvation

8.  How do neighboring psalms illumine the meaning of the particular psalm I am studying?

9.  In what ways is Christ central to this psalm?

10.  How does this psalm speak to the people of God today?