Faithfulness, Suffering, and Redemption (Psalm 44)

Occoquan Bible Church

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Faithfulness, Suffering, and Redemption (Psalm 44)

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July 28, 2024 • Ben Purves • Psalm 44

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Dear OBC Family,

Does sorrow provoke you to draw near to the Lord, or does suffering tempt your heart to forsake Him? This Sunday we turn again to a lament in the Psalms of the Sons of Korah as the people of God are experiencing great suffering at the hands of their enemies. I invite you to read Psalm 44 in preparation for worship. As you read, pay attention to the faith of the psalmist and his urgent cry for help and redemption. May God’s Word instruct our hearts and direct our eyes to Christ!

I look forward to worshiping our Lord with you this Sunday.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Ben

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Discussion & Response Questions for Psalm 44

What is the lament of the Psalmist?

How does the Psalmist describe God’s character and work?

Consider the example of the fathers (vv. 1-3) and the faith of their sons (vv. 4-8). What does it look like to imitate this faithfulness?

Look for voice changes in the psalm. Where do you see singular or plural personal pronouns, and how might this psalm have been performed?

How does the Psalmist understand the suffering that Israel is experiencing?

When you experience suffering, how does Scripture guide you to interpret the cause or purpose of your suffering? What presumptuous conclusions must we guard against?

Consider how Psalm 44:22 is used by the apostle Paul in Romans 8. How does Paul use Psalm 44 as he speaks about the sufferings of the church?

How does Christ ultimately answer the prayer of the psalmist?

How should we respond to this text?

More from Psalms of the Sons of Korah (Ps 42-49)

Hope in God (Psalm 42-43)

July 21, 2024 • Ben Purves • Psalms 42—43

Dear OBC Family, This Sunday we will begin a new summer sermon series in Psalms, and we will be preaching through the first collection of the Psalms of the Sons of Korah in Psalm 42-49. Regardless of what season you’re in, it is good for us to consider how God is our exceeding joy. This is especially true in seasons of difficulty or grief. Let us read along with the psalmist, and may we learn to pour out our souls to God and reorient ourselves to set our hope in Him. This Sunday we will kick off the series with the opening lament of Psalms 42-43. I invite you to read this in advance in preparation for worship, and I look forward to worshiping our great God with you this Sunday. Blessings in Christ, Pastor Ben ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Discussion and Response Questions for Psalms 42-43 1. What is the organization of Psalms 42-43? 2. What information can you glean about the psalmist’s background and circumstances? 3. What does it mean to be thirsty for God? 4. What requests is the psalmist making of God? 5. Consider the psalmist’s relationship to God. What does the psalmist affirm about God? 6. What does the psalmist question about God? Though his questions are honest, what wrong thoughts is the psalmist having about God, and how does he counter these thoughts? 7. What should we do when circumstances provoke wrong thoughts about God? 8. Consider the chorus in which the psalmist counsels himself. What does it look like to counsel and preach to yourself? 9. What does it look like for God to be one’s exceeding joy? http://10.what does Psalms 42-43 reveal about who God is? 11. Reconsider the questions of the psalmist in light of where we are in redemptive history. We are in the New Covenant, Christ has died, risen, and ascended, and the Spirit has been given to the church. How should these questions be answered? http://12.how ought we to respond to this text?