1)Listen to Podcast
2) GG Questions 03/24/2019
Getting Real: Ups and Downs Psalm 27
1. Mood Swings: The first thing that strikes you when reading this psalm is its abrupt, almost jarring, mood changes. David moves from unassailable confidence, “whom shall I fear?” (1) to a desperate cry not to be abandoned, “forsake me not!” (9). Do we see any other transitions in the psalm? What accounts for these jumps? Can you relate to experiencing simultaneous doubt and trust, anxiety and assurance?
2. Single-minded: The most well-known sentence in this psalm is verse 4: “The one thing I ask of the Lord, the thing I seek most, is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” (cf. v 8). Compare this verse with Psalm 86:11 (read it in a couple translations, if you are able ). What does it mean to have an undivided heart? Are there circumstances in which you sense your heart becoming divided?
3. Foes: David faced some hard times. At times it seemed like everyone was out to get him. Psalm 27 speaks of David’s “adversaries” and “enemies” as “evildoers,” “false witnesses,” even an “army” (vv. 2-3, 11-12). I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I have any “enemies”? Aren’t enemies for characters like Sherlock Holmes and Spiderman? How are we meant to relate?
4. Temple: Psalm 27 is loaded with ‘temple’ imagery. Scan through the psalm looking for the words: “house of the Lord,” “temple,” and “tent.” This psalm even forms the center of a three-song playlist about God’s temple with the psalm before it (26:8) and after it (28:2). What was the OT significance of the temple (Deut. 12:5-7)? How can we enjoy God’s temple presence in the NT era (John 2:21; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; Eph. 2:21)?
