Lesson 47 - Senior
Memory Verse
"Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD" (Psalm 150:6).
Cross References
I The Praises of God Exhorted
1. His mercy merits our thanksgiving, [PS:107:1]; [PS:103:17]; [PS:50:14]; [LAM:3:22-23]; [DEU:6:7]; [TIT:3:5-7]; [MAT:10:32].
2. Praise Him for the magnitude of redemption, [PS:107:2-5]; [PS:130:7]; [LUK:2:36-38]; [1CO:1:30]; [HEB:9:12].
3. We should express our gratitude for deliverance from trouble, [PS:107:6]; [PS:50:15]; [2CHR:20:20-22]; [PS:3:27]; [PS:6:22]; [2TM:4:18].
4. He is our great Leader, [PS:107:7]; [PS:77:20]; [1SM:2:9]; [LUK:24:50].
5. God should be praised, for He is good, [PS:Psalm 107:8-9]; [PS:92:1-2]; [ROM:8:28]; [ACT:10:38].
II Examples of God's Faithfulness
1. His goodness extends even to the rebellious, [PS:107:10-16]; [NEH:9:16-17], [NEH:9:26-27].
2. Transgressors, who cause their own afflictions, are included, [PS:107:17-22]; [PRO:13:15]; [MIC:7:18].
3. He controls the elements and stills the tempest, [PS:107:23-32]; [PRO:30:4]; [MAT:8:27]; [MAK:4:39].
4. Wickedness of men causes a fruitful land to become waste, [PS:107:33-34].
5. Mercy of God turns a wilderness into a fruitful land, [PS:107:35-38]; [ISA:35:1-2]; [ISA:51:3].
III His Dealings with Men
1. Through devious means He talks to men, [PS:107:39]; [PS:94:12]; [PRO:3:11-12].
2. The Lord is no respecter of persons, [PS:107:40]; [ACT:10:34]; [EPH:6:9].
3. He loves the poor but stops the mouth of the sinner, [PS:107:41-42]; [JAM:2:5]; [JOB:5:16].
4. To observe the things of God brings understanding of His ways, [PS:107:43]; [DAN:12:10]; [JER:9:23-24]; [JHN:8:31-32].
Notes
God's Holy Word is filled with excellent advice. It teaches men how to live and is our guide to that heavenly home. It is necessary to believe and receive all the Word of God in our hearts, and not take exception to any portion of Scripture. In [REV:22:18-19] we are explicitly informed that the whole Word of God is necessary and sufficient to provide all a passport into Glory.
Thus in this Psalm we are told to give thanks unto the Lord, to praise and worship Him. The praises of God are one of the fruits of a genuine experience in the Lord. If we are attached to the True Vine we have the fruits of the True Vine. If our experience is false, or we have allowed it to lapse and we have fallen into a backslidden condition, our praises are insincere and only sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. If the joy of the Lord is not our strength His Spirit will not be upon our testimony. How inspiring and uplifting to men, but above all how pleasing in the ears of the Lord, are the praises of the saints here below if we long to sing praises and worship before that Heavenly Throne throughout all the endless ages of eternity, it is necessary that we institute proceedings right here and now.
There is a deep joy in salvation. David knew this, and was also honest enough to admit that he had lost his experience, and to pray for its restoration. He said (Psalm 51:12), "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation." There is a delusion of the devil, which causes people to believe that joy and happiness can be found only in sin. David had possessed the joy -- lost it -- and found himself in the clutches of Satan, filled with remorse and grief. He realised the difference between the fruits of sin and the peace of God. The first Psalm tells us who is the happy man. When we make contact with Christ, and His Blood is upon the doorposts and lintels of our hearts, it is our joy to do His will in all things, which includes expressing our gratitude for a marvellous deliverance from the rule of the enemy, and for the freedom of salvation.
It takes more than a few minutes to recall God's marvellous blessings. The experience of serving Jesus through the years has been wonderful -- but do we realise the blessings poured out upon our lives each moment? Just pause and consider. Most certainly we should "give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good." Many times when we are seeking something from God, pleading before the throne, it would do us well to remember His admonition to praise.
This 107th Psalm is filled with reasons why we should praise the Lord. He gathers His people, feeds them with the Bread of Heaven, delivers them from their distresses, leads them in the right way, is merciful even unto the backslider who has wandered away and awakened in trouble and distress. In verse 9 we read, "For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." God loves a hungry heart, and blessings are in store for the one who comes to Him with such an attitude ([LUK:1:53]). He not only makes the storm a calm, but upon entrance into a heart He causes also the raging tempest of sin and remorse to be stilled. "Then are they glad because they be quiet."
There is no better time than the present to praise the Lord. There is a continual spirit of worship and thanksgiving ascending from the heart of a saint of God, but it is good to orally express that which is felt in the heart. God loves praise and will honour the one who thus exalts His Holy Name. We see the manifestation of the covert of His wings and the shadow of His everlasting arms in our daily lives, and say, with the Psalmist, "O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works" (Psalm 105:1, 2).
Questions
1. What is the general exhortation of Psalm 107?
2. Is the spirit of this exhortation borne out in the lives of the redeemed?
3. There are wonderful promises in this Psalm. Enumerate them.
4. What is the result of rebelling against the Word of God?
5. Explain what should be done when one is in trouble.
6. What is the expected result of this action?
7. What is written in this Psalm about testifying in church?
8. What will the redeemed in Heaven do throughout all eternity?
9. Are we under any obligation to praise God?