Bible Study – Evenings

Please read: Psalm 146

1. What line or lines from the Psalm speak to you? This can be because of their feel, their wording, their familiarity…any reason at all…
2. Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46b-55) is also a lectionary option along with Psalm 146:5-10 on the third week of Advent in Year A. Why do you think these pieces are paired together?
3. Why do you think only the last half of the Psalm, verses 5-10 are used in the lectionary?
4. Jesus knows the Psalms. Jesus references and quotes the Psalms both verbatim and with a poetic license. After reading Psalm 146, are you reminded of any of Jesus’s words?
5. Look at Isaiah 61. Where do you find references and echoes in the Psalm? Why do you think the Psalmist pulled from Isaiah 61?
6. Why would scholars describe Psalm 146 as “a summary of the Bible”?
7. “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help,” verse 3. How does this verse translate to our modern world…?
8. How do we relate in our present day to verses 7b-9?
9. In your opinion, is this a Psalm of Praise, or a political statement…? Can it be both?
10. Look at other translations of Psalm 146. Do those other translations change your opinion of the Psalm or change your interpretation of it at all?
11. Do you like Psalm 146? Why or Why not? Do you understand it or does it leave you with lingering thoughts and questions…?