In this second half of our conversation comparing Psalms 22 and 23 we explore more of the messianic aspects and ponder how these famous passages can apply to our everyday lives. Send comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we can include them in future episodes.
We're trying something different, and tackling two Psalms at once! Psalm 22 and 23 appear initially to be quite different in tone, but both have been seen as messianic prophecies. With two Psalms as source material, this conversation will span across two episodes - so keep an eye out next week for the second installment. In this first half we align with the Sabbath School lesson on "The Bible and Prophecy" by exploring messianic themes in these chapters.
Psalm 114 uniquely describes the Exodus as leaving "a people of strange language", and we explore some implications for understanding the bible as history. This episode deliberately aligns with this week's Sabbath School lesson. The focus on this Psalm was partly inspired by an interesting essay on Psalm 114 .
We enjoy the beginning of this Psalm, but are all slightly troubled by the Old Testament taunts in the middle. After some fruitful discussion we agree that it's more important to be on God's side than to claim He is on ours. In particular, the troubling verses are 7-9: 7 God has promised in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. 9 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I c...
Psalm 104 is full of echoes of the creation story, and so our meander through the Psalms aligns this week with the Sabbath School lesson. We tend to agree with the SDA Bible Commentary that this Psalm "is remarkable for the movement and vividness of the images", and "is probably unsurpassed in literature". You can share any answers/thoughts/comments (and any other questions) with us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com.
Psalm 131 is just one verse each for Cameron, Lachlan, and Ken - but there's plenty to discuss. Imagery of God as a mother is explored (a week late for Mother's Day, unfortunately), and we wonder how this Psalm fits with the desire to think about great and marvelous things. Ken poses 2 questions for you to think about beyond this episode: When and how does false humility arise? What is involved in "calming and quieting my soul"? You can share any answers/thoughts/comments (and any other question...
We take a look at Psalm 127, attributed to Solomon. It turns out to have fascinating relevance for our modern world, and our attempts to summarise end up being longer than the Psalm itself. The opening verses of this song are the School Psalm at the school where Cameron works. The subsequent verses about having many children seem surprisingly unrelated, but we discovered some ways to seem the themes united. The essay on prayer that Cameron references can be listened to as an audiobook on youtube...
Cam, Lachlan, and Ken learn from some listener comments, and explore the almost unbearable positivity of Psalm 91. A listener (Ben) shared a fantastic example of a contemporary song that might be similar in some ways to the more raw and dark of the Psalms. You can enjoy listening to Laura Story's song Blessings on YouTube . Psalm 91 contains the verses "He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against...
We discuss Psalm 138, next in sequence from last week but substantially more positive; Cam shares a particularly amusing (and relevant) anecdote about the Disappearing Fire. Luke was otherwise occupied this week and so the conversation is between Cameron, Lachlan, and Ken. Psalm 138 was chosen for this week's topic on the basis that it was different from Psalm 137 (last week) and also simply the next in sequence. For the first time, we conclude with a few questions you might like to respond to: ...
We chat about Psalm 137 and its challenging ending invites us to engage a little deeper, helped by some new ideas emailed by listeners. As always, send in your comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we will use them to broaden the conversation.
Cameron, Lachlan, and Ken are joined by a good friend Luke for this discussion of Psalm 20, and Ken gets to unpack one of his favourite verses (v4). Yet again we turn to C S Lewis for some helpful insights, and COVID-19 features in our chat about applying this Psalm to our lives. Send in your comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we will use them to reflect a wider conversation next time.
In this opening episode (audio quality gets better from next episode) Cameron and Lachlan and Ken chat about Psalm 46 and notice a lot of themes relevant to the current COVID-19 situation. This is the very first episode of an attempt to do Sabbath School conversations while isolated due to COVID-19. Send in your comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we will use them to reflect a wider conversation next time.
