Psalms 108-109

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Praise for His Faithfulness, Petition for Deliverance, and an Imprecatory Psalm

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BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. It is right for the Lord’s people to pray with praise and confident trust.

  2. It is not wrong for the Lord’s people to pray that people will reap what they have sown.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Distinguish between repetition and repeating truth.

  2. Don’t let your prayers for God’s righteous judgment take away from your praise.

QUESTIONS

  1. Why might Psalm 108 sound very familiar to you?

  2. Explain the reference to all the nations in Psalm 108:7-9.

  3. Explain David’s concern about his enemy Edom, followed by confidence (verses 10-13).

  4. What type of psalm is Psalm 109?

  5. As king, David could have taken matters into his own hands here. Did he?

ANSWERS

  1. Verses 1-5 of this psalm are virtually identical to the second half of Psalm 57, while verses 6-13 are an echo of Psalm 60. Most likely this combination was made for liturgical purposes well after David’s death, for use in temple worship.

  2. These verses are prophetic of the Lord’s coming earthly kingdom. Restored Israel at that time will include all that was given to them under the Abrahamic Covenant. All of Israel’s enemies – past, present, and future, will be subdued.

  3. David wondered how he would defeat this well-protected nation, based on previous defeats of the Israelite army. Then his confidence returns as he realizes that it is not Israel’s army that brings victory, but Israel’s Warrior, the Lord Himself.

  4. This is one of the imprecatory psalms. To imprecate means to curse, so David turned this matter over to the Lord and called on Him to carry out justice.

  5. No, he prayed for the leader of the ungodly opposition to reap what he had sown.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. What time of day are you most likely to praise the Lord? David began praising Him early each morning, but this is not your only option. Discuss what is most practical for your lifestyle – naptime, midnight? Make time to praise the Lord.

  2. We see in Psalm 109 that David had shown love to some group of people, but they had responded with hatred and slander. Without naming names, have you had this experience? What was your response?

CHALLENGE

  1. David ends his imprecatory prayer with praise. This is important for us to remember as we follow David’s example and pray for God’s justice on ungodly people. We should always end with praise.

KEY VERSES

  • “I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your mercy is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth.” Psalm 108:3-5

  • “In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer.” Psalm 109:4

Old Testament, Psalms, TalksDeb HarmsPsalms 108-109