Bible Studies

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Key Verses
(NRSV)

• 1: “I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up.” – Being lifted by God out of the pain and suffering of a serious illness, David gives God praise.
  
  
• 5: “For His anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime.” – In 2 Samuel 24 God had punished David and all of Israel for their arrogance and sins.
  
  
• 6: “As for me, I said in my prosperity, ‘I shall never be moved.’” – Success and prosperity had caused David to forget from where His favor came. David became mighty and prosperous, promptly forgetting God.
  
  
• 9: “What profit is there in my death…? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness” – David is suggesting that he has purpose, to praise and celebrate God’s love, and that these virtues would be missed by God if David were dead.
  
  
• 10: “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!” – David had presented his case and now pleaded for God’s gracious love to prevail.
  
  
• 12: “O Lord, I will give thanks to you forever.” – His lesson learned, David promises to praise God in all things, forever.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Have you been lifted up by God? As children of God we gather nourishment and succor from Him and grow in His love. Think of the times that depression or illness has lifted and was replaced with joy and boundless energy. Did this time of crises cause you to reach out to God in a new way? Did you praise God for this “drawing up” from the depths of darkness? Have you felt God’s restorative love in your life?
  
  
• Have you been punished by God? Or is this a description of God that only applies to the Old Testament? If so, what has changed? Is it possible that anger and punishment are no longer necessary due to Christ’s death on the cross? Do you accept that in your moment of belief all of your sins have been forgiven? Since they are forgiven, what would be the point of punishment?
  
  
• Do you tend to forget God when things are going well? Is it apparent that your self-worth can quickly become the most important thing in your life, turning you from God? On the other hand, self-abasing tendencies are not what God has in mind either. How can you keep these in perspective? How do you keep your ego from controlling your motivation, creating feelings of invincibility, and yet, remain energized and excited to do God’s work?
  
  
• Do you praise God? In verse 9 David, with the humor of a Shakespearean satire says: “What profit is there in my death?” David is suggesting that humans are created to glorify God. The entire purpose of our lives is to “Praise the Lord.” He further asks, without our praise, who would praise God? Who would tell of His faithfulness, grace and love? As in most satires, the humor lies in the truth. If your purpose is to “Praise the Lord,” why do you spend so little of your time doing it?
  

Promise of the Gospel:

With God’s love, we are drawn up into His arms out of the limitations of our earthly bounds. Every endeavor in our lives, every earthly possession, and all power and riches we accumulate will pass and, eventually, we will come to realize that God is the only reliable source of our security. Our true purpose in life is to celebrate God’s love and faithfulness in songs of thanksgiving and praise.

FUMC Devotionals

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