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    Immersion Bible Studies: Psalms
    Immersion Bible Studies: Psalms
    Immersion Bible Studies: Psalms
    Ebook145 pages3 hours

    Immersion Bible Studies: Psalms

    By Prof. J. Clinton McCann JR.

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    About this ebook

    Imagine a life of true happiness, a life of complete honesty with God. Through this study of the Scriptures, you learn how to live a life of gratitude while producing actions that honor God. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step suggestions for leading a group are provided as well as questions to facilitate class discussion.

    This eight-week volume is part of the Immersion Bible Studies series. Inspired by a fresh translation, the Common English Bible (CEB), Immersion stands firmly on Scripture and helps you explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of your personal faith. Whether you are using the CEB or another translation, Immersion will offer new insights into God’s Word, your own life, and your life with God.

    Psalms features eight sessions.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAbingdon Press
    Release dateSep 1, 2011
    ISBN9781426749001
    Immersion Bible Studies: Psalms
    Author

    Prof. J. Clinton McCann JR.

    J. Clinton McCann, Jr., is Evangelical Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Eden Theological Seminary. An internationally recognized expert on the Psalms, his numerous publications include A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah and the Psalms commentary in The New Interpreter s Bible (Vol. IV). An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he served as consulting translator of the Psalms for the Common English Bible, and he has lectured or taught for church groups or academic settings in twenty-six states.

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      Book preview

      Immersion Bible Studies - Prof. J. Clinton McCann JR.

      Image1

      Praise for Immersion

      Immersion Bible Studies is a powerful tool in helping readers to hear God speak through Scripture and to experience a deeper faith as a result.

      Adam Hamilton, author of 24 Hours That Changed the World

      If you're looking for a deeper knowledge and understanding of God's Word, you must dive into Immersion Bible Studies! Whether in a group setting or as an individual, you will experience God and his unconditional love for each of us in a whole new way.

      Pete Wilson, founding and senior pastor of Cross Point Church

      This beautiful series helps readers become fluent in the words and thoughts of God, for purposes of illumination, strength building, and developing a closer walk with the One who loves us so.

      Laurie Beth Jones, author of Jesus, CEO and The Path

      I highly commend to you Immersion Bible Studies, which tells us what the Bible teaches and how to apply it personally.

      John Ed Mathison, author of Treasures of the Transformed Life

      The Immersion Bible Studies series is no less than a game changer. It ignites the purpose and power of Scripture by showing us how to do more than just know God or love God; it gives us the tools to love like God as well.

      Shane Stanford, author of You Can't Do Everything . . . So Do Something

      Image2

      Psalms

      Immersion Bible Studies

      by J. Clinton McCann, Jr.

      Copyright © 2011 by Abingdon Press

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to Permissions Office, 201 Eighth Avenue, South, P. O. Box 801, Nashville, Tennessee 37202-0801, faxed to 615-749-6128, or e-mailed to permissions@abingdonpress.com.

      Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Common English Bible, © Copyright 2011 by Common English Bible, and are used by permission.

      Scriptures marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Scriptures marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Scriptures marked KJV are from the King James or Authorized Version of the Bible.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      McCann, J. Clinton, 1951-

      Psalms / J. Clinton McCann, Jr.

      p. cm. –– (IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES)

      ISBN 978-1-4267-1629-4 (alk. paper)

      1. Bible. O.T. Psalms––Textbooks. I. Title.

      BS1451.M43 2011

      223'.2077––dc22

      2011015460

      Editor: Jack A. Keller, Jr.

      Leader Guide Writer: John P. Jack Gilbert

      11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20––10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Manufactured in the United States of America

      Contents

      Immersion Bible Studies

      1. The Pursuit of Happiness

      2. Where Is God in a World of Suffering?

      3. Faithful Complaining

      4. A Lifestyle of Gratitude

      5. A Lifestyle of Praise

      6. Whom Can We Trust?

      7. Marching to Zion

      8. Establishing Justice

      Leader Guide

      Image3

      Immersion Bible Studies

      A fresh new look at the Bible, from beginning to end,

      and what it means in your life.

      Welcome to Immersion!

      We've asked some of the leading Bible scholars, teachers, and pastors to help us with a new kind of Bible study. Immersion remains true to Scripture but always asks, Where are you in your life? What do you struggle with? What makes you rejoice? Then it helps you read the Scriptures to discover their deep, abiding truths. Immersion is about God and God's Word, and it is also about you––not just your thoughts, but your feelings and your faith.

      In each study you will prayerfully read the Scripture and reflect on it. Then you will engage it in three ways:

      Claim Your Story

      Through stories and questions, think about your life, with its struggles and joys.

      Enter the Bible Story

      Explore Scripture and consider what God is saying to you.

      Live the Story

      Reflect on what you have discovered, and put it into practice in your life.

      Immersion makes use of an exciting new translation of Scripture, the Common English Bible (CEB). The CEB and IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES will offer adults:

      the emotional expectation to find the love of God

      the rational expectation to find the knowledge of God

      reliable, genuine, and credible power to transform lives

      clarity of language

      Whether you are using the Common English Bible or another translation, IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES will offer a refreshing plunge into God's Word, your life, and your life with God.

      1

      The Pursuit of Happiness

      Psalms 1–2; 19; 32; 37; 41; 72–73; 111–112

      Claim Your Story

      Everybody wants to be happy! Indeed, according to one of the most important and influential documents in human history, the pursuit of happiness is an inalienable right. But, of course, The Declaration of Independence does not tell us how to pursue happiness, leaving us to ponder some crucial questions: Am I happy? If so, what makes me happy? If not, why not? And how might I pursue happiness more effectively?

      We ponder these questions in the midst of a culture that leads us to think often about being happy and that generally encourages us to pursue happiness in a particular way—namely, by getting what we want, and more specifically, by buying what we want. But, according to many expert observers of human behavior, this self-centered and consumer-oriented approach to pursuing happiness turns out to be sadly ironic. Instead of finding happiness, we are often left feeling alone, bored, dissatisfied, and disappointed—in a word, unhappy. Even many people who seem to have it made or have it all find themselves asking, Is that all there is?

      For contemporary persons who may be longing for and searching for happiness, the Bible is a timely resource. In fact, the very first psalm in the Book of Psalms is about the truly happy person (Psalm 1:1). The word happy occurs more than two dozen times in the Psalms; and in a real sense, the whole Book of Psalms is about what it means to be truly happy (1:1; 2:12). As we shall see, the portrait of the truly happy person in the Psalms is a striking contrast to what our culture generally calls happiness.

      Enter the Bible Story

      The Pursuit of Happiness: It's All About God, Not About Me!

      While contemporary culture encourages us to find happiness by pursuing (which usually means purchasing) what we want, the truly happy person in Psalm 1 focuses his or her attention first and foremost on God, not on self. Psalm 1 is usually categorized as a Torah Psalm, since the Hebrew word torah occurs twice in verse 2. It means instruction, and it signals the reader to expect to learn something from this psalm and all the others. Psalm 1 is also sometimes categorized as a Wisdom Psalm, and this label fits as well. True wisdom derives from being instructed by God, and the psalmist is! Shunning other advice (verse 1), the truly happy person is committed to learning from the divine teacher. These persons love the LORD's Instruction, and even recite God's Instruction day and night! (verse 2). In short, genuine happiness derives not from doing what we want, but rather from attending constantly to and doing what God wants!

      Across the Testaments

      Jesus and Happiness

      In the Gospel of Matthew, the first major block of Jesus' teaching is known as the Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5–7). Like the Book of Psalms, the first word of Jesus' teaching is happy. And in the Beatitudes (that is, happy-sayings), Jesus reinforces what the Psalms teach about happiness. In particular, happiness derives from attending first to what God wants—Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). And happiness derives from doing what God wills—Happy are people who show mercy (5:7), and Happy are people who make peace (5:9).

      The Hebrew word torah is best translated instruction, but it means something as broad as God's will. God's instruction, or God's will, has a specific content, which is suggested by Psalm 1 when it mentions justice in verse 5. Later in the Book of Psalms, Psalms 96 and 98 (see Chapter 8) proclaim that God is coming to establish justice on the earth! (96:13; 98:9). God's coming is not a future event, but rather a current and ongoing reality—that is, God is present in the world to establish justice. Although justice is often understood in the retributive sense of rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior, God's justice is something different. It means not giving people what they deserve, but rather giving them what they need. It means setting the world right (justice and righteousness occur together frequently in the Psalms and elsewhere in the Bible) so that all people may live, especially those persons whose lives are most threatened and vulnerable.

      To illustrate this meaning of justice, consider Psalm 72, a prayer for the Judean king, who was considered God's earthly adopted son (2:7; see Chapter 8), and as such, was entrusted with the earthly administration of the will of God, the heavenly king (see king in 98:6, and rules in 96:10; both come from the same Hebrew root). The prayer is that the earthly king may govern with justice (verses 2, 4) and righteousness (verses 1-3), which consist of the protection of and empowerment of the poor, weak, and needy (verses 2, 4, 12-14), and which yield shalom, comprehensive well-being or peace (verses 3, 7). Psalm 72 envisions that the king's administration of justice will extend to all the nations, who will call him happy (verse 17), clearly recalling Psalm 1. Again, happiness derives from doing what God wants—that is, justice

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