Psalm 125-Ecclesiastes 4:
June 22: Psalm 125-129; Proverbs 22 1. Psalm 126:5-6 makes some wonderful promises that can apply to personal evangelism. Who in your life do you want to see converted? Are you willing to take them the “precious seed” of the gospel? Do you weep for their soul?
2. Psalm 127 rejoices in the blessing of family. What is your attitude toward children? What is your attitude toward your spiritual family?
June 23: Psalm 130-134; Proverbs 23 1. Compare Psalm 131 with Matthew 18:3. Do you have a helpless, humble dependence upon God? How could you develop such an attitude?
2. Psalm 134 is the last of the Psalms of Ascent. Even a menial task like standing guard at night in an empty temple is a blessing if it leads to worship (v. 2) of an awesome God (v. 3). How could you transform life’s mundane moments into worship?
June 24: Psalm 135-139; Proverbs 24 1. Psalm 135 is a celebration of God’s awesomeness. He is unlike any other god (vv. 5-7, vv. 15-18). What attributes of God from this Psalm jump out at you? What empty idols have made and trusted (v. 18)?
2. A single theme dominates Psalm 136’s overview of human history: “His mercy endureth forever.” God made the entire universe (vv. 1-9) and redeems His people (vv. 10-22). What are called to do in verse 26?
3. Psalm 137 is written in response to the horrors of exile in Babylon. In the face of mistreatment and injustice, the un-named psalmist calls for God to repay Israel’s enemies for their atrocities (v. 8), even naming one of the more horrific evils perpetrated against evil. Underlying the Psalm is a conviction that God will ultimately right every wrong and repay the wicked. We can rest in a God will always do right.
4. Psalm 139 celebrates God’s omnipresence (He’s everywhere) and His omniscience (He knows all things). How do these realities make you feel?
June 25: Psalm 140-141, 143-145; Proverbs 25 1. Psalm 140 is a psalm of lament, calling for God’s help in the face of persecution. What is the primary weapon used against David in v. 3, 9, and 11? How does David respond? How do you normally respond when someone speaks evil of you? 2. Although David faces persecutions outside of him (143:3), what concerns him more in 143:2 and 11? How is sin more dangerous than persecution?
3. Psalm 145 is the final psalm with David’s name on it. Like Psalm 119, this is an acrostic psalm, with each verse beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Doing so demonstrates the comprehensive nature of David’s praise. What attributes does he celebrate in this psalm? Which stands out the most to you?
June 26: Psalm 146-150; Proverbs 26 1. The book of Psalms ends with five glorious praise psalms. Each one begins with “Praise the Lord.” Although Psalms includes many prayers of confession and lamentation, it ends with praise. How does this mirror our Christian experience? How does our story ultimately end?
2. Throughout these five psalms, the psalmist exalts numerous attributes of God. Which ones stand out the most to you? Which ones surprise you?
Ecclesiastes:
Title: The term “Ecclesiastes” is the Greek word for the Hebrew title of the book, Qoheleth, “one who calls or gathers the people,” thus, “preacher.” Throughout the book, the author presents himself as the “preacher” calling the younger generation to not follow in his footsteps (ch. 12). Ecclesiastes, along with Song of Solomon, Ruth, Esther, and Lamentations, was one of the five Megilloth (“five scrolls”). Each of these was read at one of Israel’s annual festivals, with Ecclesiastes read at Pentecost.
Author: Though his name is not mentioned, Ecclesiastes was likely written by Solomon,. He describes himself as “the Son of David, the king in Jerusalem” (1:1) and describes great accomplishments in the book that can only refer to Solomon. The author is said to have written many proverbs (12:9), ruled over Israel, not just Judah (1:12), and ultimately, lived a life of pleasure and wealth. More than likely, Solomon wrote this book toward the end of his life. 2 Kings 2-11 tells us that Solomon turned away from God. It seems that, at the end of his life, he came to realize the futility of having lived life for himself instead of God.
Style: Ecclesiastes is Biblical Wisdom literature, written in Hebrew poetry. It does not include much historical narrative. One of the key words in the book is “vanity.” The term does not refer to pride, but rather to emptiness, pointlessness, or futility. The term gets repeated some 38 times in the book, clearly pointing to this as a major theme.
Message: The message of the book then is the “vanity” of seeking fulfillment and satisfaction apart from God. The book recounts Solomon’s own personal journey through life as he wasted precious opportunities to glorify God, seeking instead to find fulfillment in the gifts instead of the Giver. Although the NT does ever quote Ecclesiastes directly, the Apostle Paul echoes some of Solomon’s sentiment in Romans 8:19-21 where he notes that the creation was “subjected to vanity” through the curse. Yet, the day is coming when even the created world will be liberated from that curse and enjoy the liberty that comes when God’s children are finally glorifies.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon calls his readers to enjoy life while recognizing the reality of future judgment (12:13-14). Living for eternity and loving life are not mutually exclusive. It is only as we love life in light of eternity that we can live a life that actually matters.
June 27: Ecclesiastes 1-2; Proverbs 27 1. In chapter 1:3-11, Solomon describes the wearisome cycles of life. Man works, but neither accomplishes anything lasting nor finds final fulfillment (1:8). Why do people today buy into the lie that happiness can be found in a paycheck or a promotion?
2. Next, in 2:1-11, Solomon turns to pleasure to find fulfillment, but here too, he finds only emptiness. For many people, the reality of 2:10 would be their life goal: having anything they could possibly want. Why does even this leave Solomon—and all who follow in his footsteps—empty?
3. What should man do instead of trying to find fulfillment in pleasure and possession, according to 2:24-25? How is enjoyment of the good an act of worship?
June 28: Ecclesiastes 3-4; Proverbs 28 1. According to 3:11, why is it that we can’t find final fulfillment in stuff? What are we ultimately made for? Some would say that 3:20-21 proves that heaven and hell do not exist. How is this obviously not Solomon’s point, especially in light of 3:11?
2. What does 4:7-12 teach us about what matters in life? What do we tend to put in its place?