“Let Every Thing That Hath
Breath Praise the Lord”
Lesson 25 – Psalms
Introduction
What gifts and opportunities from the Lord
are you especially grateful for? How would your life be different without these
blessings? Many of the psalms express
gratitude for blessings the Lord has given. Part of this lesson focuses on
those blessings and on what we can do to show our gratitude for them. We should show our gratitude for the Savior
and for the many blessings that he and our Heavenly Father have given us.
Psalms is
a collection of poems, many written by David, which were originally sung as
praises or petitions to God. This book is like a hymnal from ancient Israel.
Its lyrics constitute some of the world’s best inspirational literature,
expressing faith in the Lord and an earnest desire to live righteously.
Many psalms prophesy of Christ’s mission as the
Messiah. The resurrected Savior declared, “All things must be fulfilled, which
were written in the Law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms,
concerning me” (Luke 24:44). A few of the following prophecies about
Christ are from the book of Psalms:
|
Prophecy |
Fulfillment |
|
Psalm
107:23-30 |
Matthew
8:23-27. Jesus calmed the winds and the waves. |
|
Psalm 69:8 |
John 1:11; John 7:5. Jesus was not received by his own people. |
|
Psalm 41:9; Psalm 55:12-14 |
John 13:18, John 13:21. Jesus was betrayed by a friend. |
|
Psalm 69:20 |
Mark 14:32-41. Jesus
suffered alone in Gethsemane. |
|
Psalm 22:7-8 |
Matthew
27:39-43. Jesus was mocked. |
|
Psalm 22:16 |
Mark 15:25. Jesus
was crucified. |
|
Psalm 22:18 |
Matthew 27:35. The
soldiers cast lots for Christ’s clothes. |
|
Psalm 22:1 |
Matthew 27:46. Jesus
asked the Father why he had forsaken him. |
|
Psalm 69:21 |
John 19:28-30. Jesus
was given vinegar for his thirst |
|
Psalm 34:20 |
John 19:33-36. None
of Jesus’ bones was broken. |
|
Psalm 31:5 |
Luke 23:46. Jesus
commended his spirit to the Father and died. |
|
Psalm 16:10 |
Acts 2:31-32; Acts 13:34-35. The Savior’s flesh did not see
corruption, being raised up in the Resurrection. |
Jesus Christ is the only person whose birth,
life, death, and resurrection were prophesied before his birth. Such detailed
prophecies were given about the Savior’s life to make it clear that Jesus was
the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world.
These prophecies were a blessing to those who received them as they
helped people learn of the Savior and gain testimonies of him even before he
was born. The prophecies also helped some people recognize him when he came.
“The Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee” (Psalm 116:7).
In addition to prophesying of the Savior’s life
and mission, many psalms express gratitude for blessings such as the creation
of heaven and earth; the Savior’s mercy, forgiveness, and love; the scriptures;
and the temple.
The
Creation of Heaven and Earth
Psalm 19:1; 104:5-7, 14, 24; 136:3-9 express
gratitude to the Lord for the creation of heaven and earth:
The
Savior’s Mercy, Forgiveness, and Love
Psalm 23; 51; 59:16; 78:38; 86:5, 13; 100:4-5;
103:2-4, 8-11, 17-18 - Some of these psalms express gratitude to
the Savior for his mercy, forgiveness, and love:
The Scriptures
Psalm 19:7-11; 119
- These psalms express gratitude to the Lord for the scriptures:
Psalm 19:7-10 - Words David
used to describe the scriptures included law, testimony, statutes,
commandment, and judgments. Adjectives used described the scriptures
include perfect, sure, right, pure, true, and righteous. The
scriptures are also described as more desired than gold and sweeter than honey.
Psalm 19:7-11 -
Blessings the scriptures bring into our lives, as recorded in these
verses include: converting
our souls (verse 7), making the simple wise (verse 7), causing our hearts to
rejoice (verse 8), enlightening our eyes (verse 8), giving us warning (verse
11).
Psalm 119:97 - The
Psalmist exclaimed to the Lord, “O how love I thy law! it is my
meditation all the day”. Think seriously about how you might
develop such a love for the scriptures.
Psalm 119:105 -
The scriptures like “a lamp unto [our] feet, and a light unto [our] path”.
The Temple
Psalm 5:7; 15:1-3; 24; 27:4; 65:4;
84:1-2,4,10-12; 122; 134 teach about the temple.
“What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits
toward me?”
In Psalm 116:12,
David asked, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward
me?”
David’s answer to his own this question is
listed below:
Psalm 116:13
“I
will take the cup of salvation”.
Psalm 116:13 “I will … call
upon the name of the Lord”.
Psalm 116:16 “O Lord, truly
I am thy servant”.
Psalm 116:17 “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of
thanksgiving”.
Psalm 116:18-19 “I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in
the presence of all his people, in the courts of the Lord’s house”.
We too can accept the gospel, pray, serve, be
grateful, and attend the temple.
“Trust in the Lord” is one of the most
common admonitions in the book of Psalms (Psalm 4:5;
Psalm
5:11; Psalm 9:10; Psalm
18:2; Psalm 56:11; Psalm
62:8; Psalm 118:8-9). Think about how you
place your trust in the Lord and the blessings you received as you trusted him.
Main topics of our latter-day hymns include the
Savior, our duties as Church members, enduring to the end, faith, home and
family, love, missionary work, prayer, priesthood, prophets, the restoration of
the gospel, the sacrament, service, enduring trials, and Zion.
Some of the following are ways that singing
hymns can bless us include: Hymns lift our spirits, inspire us to live more
righteously, remind us of our blessings, give us an opportunity to sing praises
to the Lord, give us a way to bear testimony, help us recommit ourselves to the
Lord, help us feel the Spirit, help us be more in tune with our Heavenly
Father, and help us learn and teach the gospel.
The First Presidency said: “Inspirational
music is an essential part of our church meetings. The hymns invite the Spirit
of the Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as members, and provide a
way for us to offer praises to the Lord.
Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns
move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the
weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end”
(Hymns, ix).
Matthew 26:30
- At the Last Supper, Jesus and his Aposstles sang a hymn. That singing of a
hymn helped Jesus and his Apostles prepare to fulfill the work that was before
them.
The LDS hymnbook could be viewed as our latter-day equivalent of the psalms. Latter-day hymns that were inspired by Old Testament psalms include: “The Lord Is My Shepherd” (Hymns, no. 108; Psalm 23), “The Lord Is My Light” (Hymns, no. 89; Psalm 27:1), “How Great Thou Art” (Hymns, no. 86; Psalm 8:3-9; Psalm 9:1-2), and “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” (Hymns, no. 72; Psalm 23:6; Psalm 150).
The psalms bear powerful witness of the divine
mission of Jesus Christ. They also remind us of the great blessings that he and
our Heavenly Father have given us. And they suggest ways we can express
gratitude for those blessings. The
final Psalm, Psalm 150, summarizes the message of the book.
These
lessons are available on the Internet at http://www.neumanninstitute.org/