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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (7/31/16)

Scripture
Psalm 40:1-11 (ESV) 
    To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
    I waited patiently for the Lord;
        he inclined to me and heard my cry.
    [2] He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
        out of the miry bog,
    and set my feet upon a rock,
         making my steps secure.
    [3] He put a new song in my mouth,
        a song of praise to our God.
    Many will see and fear,
        and put their trust in the Lord.
    [4] Blessed is the man who makes
        the Lord his trust,
    who does not turn to the proud,
        to those who go astray after a lie!
    [5] You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
        your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
        none can compare with you!
    I will proclaim and tell of them,
        yet they are more than can be told.
    [6] Sacrifice and offering you have not desired,
        but you have given me an open ear.
    Burnt offering and sin offering
        you have not required.
    [7] Then I said, "Behold, I have come;
        in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
    [8] I desire to do your will, O my God;
        your law is within my heart."
    [9] I have told the glad news of deliverance
        in the great congregation;
    behold, I have not restrained my lips,
         as you know, O Lord.
    [10] I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
        I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
    I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
        from the great congregation.
    [11] As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
        your mercy from me;
    your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
        ever preserve me!

Questions for Reflection

  1. When do you hate to wait?
  2. What mental picture did David use to describe God’s deliverance in the past? (40:1-2)
  3. For what did David praise the Lord in the introduction of the psalm? (40:1-5)
  4. What did David’s experience of God’s help in the past motivate him to do? (40:3)
  5. How should we respond to God’s deliverance? (40:3)
  6. What specific instructions does the psalm give to God’s people? (40:4)
  7. What does God want from us even more than sacrifices and offerings? (40:6-7)
  8. What was David’s main desire? (40:8)
  9. How did David equip himself to do God’s will? (40:8)
  10.  What are the dangers of letting church attendance become overly routine or perfunctory?
  11.  How can we guard against the temptation to focus more on outward appearances than inward attitudes?
  12.  What does remembering God’s faithfulness in the past prompt you to do?