Most of us love the psalms. They hit us right where we are. They move us to praise God, love God, honor God. They help us deal with some of the difficulties we face in life. But if you’re like me, you always feel like you are missing something when you read one. You know there is a deeper meaning, you just can’t seem to grasp it. Maybe I can help.

I’ve been teaching a class on the Psalms at the Brownsburg Church of Christ and just getting an immeasurable amount of wealth from psalms I have read my whole life. I feel like I’ve finally started getting beneath the surface of these poems and songs. This past Sunday, instead of just examining the psalm assigned by the workbook we are going through, I used it Psalm 8 as an example psalm to show how to study a psalm.

Now, I’ll admit, I’m no scholar. I’m not a psalm expert. But I’ve really been helped by following this 8-step process in examining the psalm. If you, like me, are just a simply Bible student and want some simple tools to help you study deeper, perhaps this will help you as it has me.

I’ll share the 8 steps here in this post. However, I have also uploaded a pdf of how I used these steps to study Psalm 8, along with the visual map of the psalm I shared with the class at Brownsburg. Use it if it is helpful. Download it by clicking here.

8 Steps to Study a Psalm

Step #1: Pigeonhole the psalm

What kind of psalm is it? Being able to label a psalm helps us know which direction the psalm is going and lets us see the forest before looking at the trees. Different authors have delineated different genres. I use the genres defined by Tremper Longman III. Find out more by downloading my example of studying Psalm 8.

Step #2:  Be leery of reading yourself into the psalm too quickly

Okay, this is not so much a step as it is trying to keep you from taking a misstep. No doubt, you will eventually read the psalm in the context of your life. But if you do it too quickly, you may miss the real meaning of the psalm and then not apply it to your life as intended. Psalm 8 is a great example of where I had made this mistake.

Step #3: Look for context clues of when and why the psalm was written

Some psalms come with an attribution and even a setting. There is some question regarding how accurate those are. But, if they can’t always tell you exactly when a psalm was written, they can at least give you the concept that an early editor of the Old Testament hymnal had about when and why the psalm was written.

Beyond the attribution, look for statements in the psalm that give evidence about when and why the psalm was written. For instance, Psalm 8:2 speaks about God giving strength to defeat enemies. This indicates that this psalm was written in response to some victory granted by God.

You can’t always get a specific setting for every psalm. But at least you may be able to determine a general basis for the writing of the psalm.

Step #4: Look at the structure of the psalm

 Strive to develop an outline. Look for the sections of the psalm. What are the themes? What are the supporting points? How are they made? Did the psalmist use statements, questions, commands, praises, laments? Does the psalm shift in person and who is speaking? Are there repeated structures? Are there parallel concepts? Are there repeated words or phrases?

This is the toughest and most involved step. In this step, I often do what I call a visual mapping of the psalm. That is I print the psalm out on paper and start drawing connections between the words and phrases. It can produce a messy sheet of paper, but when you step back, a map of the psalm stands out that almost always helps me see the structure and meaning of the psalm.

Once again, I encourage you to download my example study of Psalm 8 to see greater detail of how to accomplish this step and to see an example of a mapped out psalm.

Step #5: Examine keywords

Keywords are words upon which the meaning of the psalm hinges. They may be words repeated throughout the psalm. They may be words used in special ways with which you have to come to terms. They may be words that you struggle with to know the meaning. They may be words that you can tell are simply important because of how they are used. Don’t just work on the denotations of the words–the actual definitions. Also, work on the connotations in the context of the psalm. Consider not what the word means all by itself, but how the psalmist is using the word in the psalm.

Step #6: Consider the Old Testament Context

Does the psalm include any concepts, references, allusions, or even quotes from other passages in the Old Testament (even in the Psalms). Keep this step in the Old Testament. That will help provide the original intended meaning in the Old Testament context. We need to know that meaning before we can see how the psalm applies to our lives and before determining any New Covenant or Messianic meaning.

Step #7: What lessons do you learn from the psalm based on your study so far?

Having pigeon-holed, outlined, examined the keywords, and considered the original context, what lessons do you get out of the psalm for your own life? List them and test them against the psalm to see if they really are there.

Step #8: Examine how the psalm is used in the New Testament to see if there is a greater New Covenant/Messianic meaning

In many cases, the New Testament writers quoted the Psalms and demonstrated that while the psalm had a meaning in the original historical context, God had a greater meaning behind the psalm that was not understood until the revelation of Jesus Christ. This is not necessarily the idea of double meaning or dual fulfillment. This is the concept that in Jesus, the meaning of the psalm is intensified and made more full. I often refer to this as a greater fulfillment or an ultimate fulfillment.

Please, don’t discount the meaning in the original context and just skip to the ultimate meaning in Jesus. If you do that, you’ll gain insight into the nature of Jesus, but you may miss the personal help and direction the psalm can give you for your life. At the same time, don’t stop with simply having figured out the meaning in the original context. If you do, you may gain help in your daily life, but you’ll miss the truly awe-inspiring nature of the prophetic nature of the psalms and exactly how Jesus fulfills all that God revealed in the Old Testament.

In this step, I exercise some caution. While there may be some psalms that seem Messianic, and we can develop some interesting points, I’m leery of supplying my own Messianic meaning to a psalm. I tend to only supply that meaning if the New Testament writers pave the way to find that meaning.

 

I hope this was helpful. Let me know if it is. Also, let me know what you do to help you study the psalms. Make sure to leave a comment with your suggestions and helps.

And, once again, I encourage you to download my study example of Psalm 8 to see these steps and the mapping worked out in a real-life Bible study example.

P.S. I know this may shock you. But there are absolutely no affiliate links in this post. I don’t get any kickbacks from anyone for sharing the links in this post. However, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d check out some of the links in the sidebar and purchase stuff to your heart’s content. Hey a blogger’s got to make a living somehow, right?

It’s been a while since I’ve updated you on my special Bible class material project: “Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer-The Bible Class.” I am excited to announce that within the next few weeks the story of Steve and Sarah and their victory in Christ through prayer will be released for personal and congregational use. I’ve received great feedback about this class material and I’m truly excited to be able to offer it to you.

“Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer–The Bible Class” takes the 12 greatest lessons about prayer and brings them to you in the midst of a story of Steve and Sarah. They are in a spiritual slump, ready to turn their back on their congregation and their own spiritual growth. But one shepherd takes them under his wing and leads them through a journey of faith, teaching them how prayer can connect them to God and bring the spark of power back into their walk with the Lord.

In each lesson, you get to see how a powerful principle of prayer helps bring Steve and Sarah back into a closer walk with the Lord. They will meet with several different Christians from different backgrounds who help them get back on track.

The great thing about this different approach to Bible class material is you do not learn these lessons about prayer in a vacuum. Rather, you learn them in the context of a true to life story. You easily see the immediate application of the principles you learn about and discuss in the class or small group setting.

The story is at times humorous and at other times heart-wrenching. Steve and Sarah’s lives are not easy. But the God they serve is powerful enough to help them through. And they learn that prayer is the connection to that power. You will too.

The time is drawing near for you to learn what Steve and Sarah did. The book is presently in the midst of editing, revision, and design work. But we are fast approaching release. If you’d like to see what is coming, download the sample and read through the introduction and the first three lessons.

I know that many of your congregations are presently considering what to teach in your Bible classes in 2012. Please pass on this information to those who plan your curriculum and classes. I’m certain this is one class they will want to offer.

Click the book or here to download the sample.

God’s Way Works is excited to announce the latest class book in our Bible Class Material department–Ezra: Rebuilding God’s House, Restoring God’s People.

Would you like to know more about the post-captivity period of God’s Old Testament nation Israel? I’ve often found that even good students of the Bible have not studied this part of Biblical history in depth. That is a travesty because Ezra gives some valuable insights into restoring God’s plan and pattern for His covenant people. In this material, you and/or your class can learn about the rebuilding of the temple following the Babylonian captivity, learn of the stellar example set by Ezra, and discover the  the restoration of God’s people after they had intermingled with the foreign nations.

What really sets this class apart from many others is the special effort made to bridge the gap between the mere history described in the Biblical text and the practical help we need to serve God today. This will not be simply a dry look at historical information. It will provide the seeds of lively discussion about what it means for our lives today.

This class book contains 12 lessons and 1 Review lesson. Many congregations have special events scheduled that eat up one week of classes in any given quarter. If that happens to you, then you can burn the review lesson. If not, then you have enough material to teach each week of the normal Bible class quarter.

Ezra: Rebuilding God's House, Restoring God's People

This is a 13 lesson adult Bible class book covering the Old Testament book of Ezra with a special emphasis on restoration.

Download a Sample

If you’d like to check out the Student Workbook before you purchase, feel free to download the free sample, which includes the Introduction, Table of Contents, and the first 3 lessons. Just click the link below to access the free sample.

Check out the first 3 lessons!

Downloadable PDF

“Ezra: Rebuilding God’s House, Restoring God’s People” is a downloadable pdf file that you will be able to download immediately upon payment. You will be able to print your own copies and use them personally, in your small group, in your Bible class, or with your entire congregation depending on the licensing option that you purchase.

Licensing Options

Make sure you checkout the different licensing levels below.

Buy your Personal License for $4.97. That allows you to print one copy of this material for your personal use. Of course, you can purchase multiple personal licenses. However, if you want to print more than 14 copies, you’ll want to consider one of our other licensing options.

The Small Group License is $69.97 and gives you the license to print up to 20 copies (that’s only $3.50/copy).

The Bible Class License allows you to print up to 40 copies and is only $99.97 (that’s only $2.50/copy).

The Congregational License gives you the license to teach this class as often as you want and print as many copies as you want from now until Jesus returns within one congregation (this license is not transferable to congregations other than the one for which you originally purchased it even if paid for by an individual). This amazing deal is only $199.97.

Ezra: Rebuilding God's House, Restoring God's People

This is a 13 lesson adult Bible class book covering the Old Testament book of Ezra with a special emphasis on restoration.

Check Out Our Other Material

In addition to Ezra, you can check out our other materials available to you here at God’s Way Works. For instance, you can check out our class book on Grace: God’s Power to Overcome Sin by simply clicking the picture to the left. Or click on My Store to check out the other materials we have available at this website.

We are at war. We may not be able to see the advance of infantry, armory, and cavalry; but we can see the advance of heathenism, hedonism, and individualism. We may not be able to see bombed and burning buildings; but we can see broken and battered homes. We may not be able to see prisoners of war caught in torture camps; but we can see sheep without a shepherd, distressed and downcast, caught in cults, false teaching churches, and dead-end philosophies. We may not see the injured, crippled, and maimed lying in hospitals; but we can see the walking wounded, lying down spiritually because they have no strength to go on. We are at war. And as such, we must learn how to suit up for battle.

We’ve all heard lessons about the armor of God. We all know from Ephesians 6:10-17 that we need to put that armor on in order to stand up against the battle we’ll face today. The tempter is coming after us. How can we get prepared? I’m sure there are all kinds of things I could write about under this heading. But today, I want to show just one thing. The only way to put the armor on is to be in God’s Word.

Ephesians 6:14-17 says:

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…

Have you ever noticed how intricately linked the Word of God is to God’s armor? Sure, we all know that the sword is God’s Word. Sadly, for a long time, that was the only part of the armor I noticed was connected to God’s Word. But consider the rest in a new light.

1. Belt of truth–”Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
2. Breastplate of righteousness–”All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for … training in righteousness” (2Timothy 3:16).
3. Gospel of peace as shoes–”Of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel…” (Colossians 1:5b).
4. Shield of faith–”So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
5. Helmet of salvation–”…and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).

There you have it. There is only one way to put on God’s armor. Be in God’s Word. Dr. Phil, Stephen Covey, John Maxwell, Chicken Soup for the Soul all have their uses and benefits. But none of them will put God’s armor on you. If you want to face the battle prepared today, don’t just read your paper, your e-zines, your favorite blogs. Get in the Bible.

Help us out on here by letting us know what you do to stay in the Word and how it helps you in a practical way.

I am totally psyched up about a Bible study tool I purchased this weekend. I not only purchased it for me, but I purchased one for each of my kids as well. I have no doubt this tool is going to take my personal study and my family study to the next level. I couldn’t wait to get back here and share this with you. The tool is called the Journible™.

What is a Journible™?

The Journible™ is a tool created by Rob Wynalda as part of “The 17:18 Series” and published by Reformation Heritage Books. It’s greatness completely rests in its simplicity. It’s a journal. But not just any journal. It is a journal inspired by Deuteronomy 17:18-20.

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”

Every king was supposed to handwrite his very own copy of God’s law. You can imagine how that might help him actually remember God’s will and keep it.

According to Revelation 1:6, Jesus has made us “kings and priests to His God and Father” (NKJV). If we are kings under God’s new covenant, perhaps following God’s law for the kings of the Old Covenant is pretty good advice for us. Why not handwrite our own copy of God’s Word?

Sample Pages from the Journible for Proverbs

Why Would I Ever Want to Write My Own Copy of the Bible?

I know what you are thinking, that will take for ever. Actually, if you copied one chapter of the Bible every week day, it would take about 4 1/2 years. Given sick days and vacations, and maybe taking a few extra days to copy Psalm 119, you can have this done in about 5 years. But that is a lot of time. You are probably looking at 1200 hours of work.

Don’t think of it as 1200 hours of work to accomplish the goal of handwriting your own copy of the Bible. Think of it as simply taking time each day in God’s word to really think about it and retain it. You’re not trying to get a job done in a certain amount of time. You are just trying to take each day to grow a little closer to God.

Handwriting the Bible will help you remember and retain the meaning, if not the very words. It will cause you to slow down and think about what you are reading. It will keep you from scanning the text just to get through the day’s reading.

Additionally, you will have a keepsake and legacy for your family. This is especially great because, as you see in the picture above, the left hand side of each page opening is actually a place for taking your own notes. What a great gift to hand to your kids some day. Here is a copy of the scriptures complete with your notes and what the text taught you and meant to you.

Why Journible™?

At this point, you might be saying, “I love this idea, but I’m just going to go get a notebook and do this myself.” And you can. That may be the thing for you to do. However, there are a some reasons to go ahead and buy the Journible™.

1. It is very durable. Lot’s of notebooks have cheap bindings and easily ripped pages when they are used as much as you are going to use the Journible™. These are quality bound books that will last for a long time and endure a lot of use.

2. Better paper. The paper is thicker in the Journible™ than in most notebooks, which makes them last longer.

3. Will look good on the shelf. This is the real reason I took the plunge instead of just getting a notebook. The nice binding will look great on the bookshelf as you build your own handwritten Bible library. You’ll have a shelf of easily identifiable books instead of some ring bound notebooks or composition books shoved onto the shelf somewhere.

4. Enough space. If you just buy a notebook, you never know how much you’ll actually fit into that notebook. For instance, you may have a 150 page notebook and by the time you get to Proverbs 23 discover you actually need 175 pages to fit the whole book in. Wynalda has actually spaced out the verse numbers on the pages to insure that you have enough room to include all the book (or books in some cases) in your Journible™ for that Bible book.

5. Study prompts. You may notice some light gray text on the left hand page in the picture above. That is a study prompt. The Journible™ contains these lightly written study prompts. You may use them if you wish to help you begin your study of different passages, writing what you learn in response to them below. Or you may simply write through them or ignore them, depending on what you want to do with your own note-taking.

Wynalda also addresses this in the video below.

If you can’t see the video in your e-mail or rss feed, here is the link to the post so you can watch there.

What’s Available?

This series is still under creation. But right now you can get a Journible™ for Psalms (two volumes), Proverbs, John, and Romans. The following books are also available combined into one volume: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Also, in another one volume combination: 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews. Finally, in another one volume combination: James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, and Jude.

By the time you get these sections copied, I’m sure there will be more.

What a Great Tool

Apart from simply memorizing the entire text yourself (which will probably be the subject of another post), I can’t imagine a better tool for studying the Bible than paying such attention that you handwrite your very own copy of the text. Though I know you will need to dig deeper to gain greater understanding, can there really be a better way to gain understanding than or aiding in retention than penning the words of God in your own hand?

Be the king God has called you to be. Write your own copy of God’s Word. Whether you use the Journible™ or not is up to you. But I’m so excited to have started writing my own copy of God’s Word and I wanted to let you know about this great tool.

Below is another video of Rob Wynalda explaining how the Journible™ can be more than a personal tool, it can be your own personal legacy.

*By the way, this post does contain affiliate links. What kind of recommender would I be if I didn’t show you how to purchase this great tool? Oh yeah, here are some more:

I was looking for a fun and funny video to do a Good Clean Fun post. I came across this one, which is fun for me. I love what Jack Crabtree says about how we should read the Bible.

What would happen if we all followed his advice? Click here to add your input.

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Warning: Affiliate link below!

I love Crabtree’s advice about simply learning how to read books. So, I thought I’d throw out a recommendation. One of the books that has most helped me in reading in general and in reading the Bible wasn’t specifically about the Bible at all. Check it out. I think it might help you as well.

I know this may shock you, but my family and I have a terrible struggle with keeping a scheduled family Bible study and prayer time. We’ve learned all kinds of great ways to study and pray together. I’ve written about one of my favorites on this blog. But despite how inspiring some of these methods are, we get them started, do well for a while, and then it falls off. The struggle is often with making the schedules work. I don’t have a set schedule. I’ll have meetings come up or studies come up or I’ll have to go out of town. Or maybe something comes up for Marita or the kids. It gets in the way of our Bible study and prayer schedule and then, after a few misses, the habit is broken. A few weeks or months later, we are convicted about our lack of devotion and we get back on the family Bible study bandwagon feeling all kinds of shame and guilt.

If you’re like us, I’ve got something that might help. We’ve discovered a way to overcome this struggle. At least it is working for us. Although all kinds of things mess up our schedules every week and keep us from being able to set a timed schedule for Bible study, we recognized that we are actually pretty good at making sure we eat no matter what our scheduling does. No, we don’t actually get three family meals together every day. But we do get several family meals together each week.

So, we bought two cheap Bibles (Bibles that we didn’t mind getting a little food or drink spilled on them). Then we set them on our two tables. Now we have a reminder every time we sit down to eat to pull the Bible out and discuss it. We read a chapter and talk about it and then we pray.

This has been great for us because we are studying, praying, and having quality family time in actual communication. What is really great about this (since we are going through Proverbs right now) is how it has helped with discipline. We keep coming across Proverbs that apply to real life situations in our family. When one of us crosses the line on something, we’ve probably read a proverb about it that day. Now it is no longer just parents disciplining children; it is God disciplining our family.

You may not struggle with the scheduling. But if you do, I recommend this approach. See if it doesn’t help. Make sure you come back and let us know how it helps.

What do you do to help you study with your family? Click here to add your input.

Thanks to Clay Gentry for pointing me to this hilarious video. Makes me think just a little bit about a book I’ve read.

Enjoy!

How do you get rid of your big buts? Click here to add your input.

We’ll get back to Jerusalem’s success next week. Today, I want to share with you something I think will really be of benefit to your congregation and add value to your new converts. Here are some samples of my dvd Your First 10 Days as a Christian.

Your First 10 Days as a Christian: Introduction (to be shown to new converts on the day of their baptism)

Your First 10 Days as a Christian: Intro from Edwin Crozier on Vimeo.

Day 1-Seeking First God’s Kingdom

Day 1: Seek First God’s Kingdom from Edwin Crozier on Vimeo.

Day 3-Handling Temptation

Day 3: Handling Temptation from Edwin Crozier on Vimeo.

Order Yours Today

Go to my store or e-mail me directly today to get copies of Your First 10 Days as a Christian to strengthen your new converts today.

Okay, okay, I understand that Bible study goes a bit deeper than determining the color of a balloon. At the same time, I think this video parable/analogy/illustration should cause us to stop and think.

Enjoy and remember, when you know the truth, the truth shall set you free.