Psalm 25 notes

Some jottings I prepared ahead of our midweek meeting on Wed 2nd September:

 

What problems / issues does the Psalmist seem to be facing?

 

What does the Psalmist pray for?

 

What does the Psalmist want God to remember (or not)? Vv6-7. What does he mean by that? (Of course God is all-knowing and doesn’t forget, so what does it mean to speak of him remembering something?)

 

What reasons / arguments does the Psalmist give for his prayers? To what does he appeal?

 

How might Psalm 24:3-4 worry us? In the light of this, how might Psalm 25 comfort us?

 

Do you think verse 13 is an absolute / universal promise? How might the rest of the Psalm (or indeed the rest of the Bible) qualify it?

 

How would you summarise this Psalm?

 

What might we usefully take away from it? Has anything particularly struck you?

 

How might we live in the light of this Psalm? What attitudes does the Psalmist commend?

 

How might we turn the Psalm into praise and prayer?

 

Notes

 

An individual lament / prayer of confidence

 

An acrostic – with two or three amendments, the initial letters of the 22 verses spell out the Hebrew alphabet. (Waw and qoph are omitted. There are two r lines in vv18 and 19. Beth can only be found by adjusting the text). Perhaps the brokenness of the Psalm is meant to suggest that life is complex and messy not totally “neat” and obvious. The Psalm thus resists giving overly easy answers / complete knowledge.

The final verse begins with an extra pe and is a kind of appendix / added “Amen”.

 

Some scholars say it is hard / impossible to identify any further structure.

 

Vv1-3 and 20-22 might correspond.

 

The Psalm has three equal sections of:

prayer (to God) – vv1-7,

creed (about God) – vv8-15

and then prayer again – vv16-22

with an extra one verse prayer – v11 - inserted in the middle section (Wilcock)

This prayer in v11 seems to be the centre of the Psalm and might thus be emphasised: God forgiving sin is a crucial idea in the Psalm. Forgiveness depends on the name / character of God and salvation is ultimately for his name / glory / fame.

 

V7 – Don’t remember my sins but remember me for good (not judgement)

 

V7 – the first use of the noun “sin”(s) in the Psalms

 

V9 has verb and noun from the same root – “Direct… his direction”

 

Goldingay lists seven theological implications of the Psalm / lessons about prayer (p377)

 

* * *

 

Kidner: An alphabet of entreaty

 

Enemies

Guidance

Guilt

Trust

 

* * *

 

Goldingay, The Bases of Prayer from A to Z

 

(no other overall structure discernible)

 

* * *

 

Motyer: An A-Z for Troubled Times

 

A1. Waiting on Yahweh (vv1-5)

B1. Dealing with sin (past): do not remember (vv6-7)

C1. Divine teacher: who are his pupils? (vv8-10)

B2. Dealing with sin (present): forgive (v11)

C2. Divine teacher: who are his pupils? (vv12-14)

A2: Waiting on Yahweh (vv15-21)

David’s wider concern (v22)

 

* * *

 

Expositor’s Bible

 

A prayer for deliverance, guidance and forgiveness

 

A: Prayer for deliverance and guidance (vv1-3)

B: Prayer for guidance and forgiveness (vv4-7)

C: Assurance of guidance (vv8-10)

B’: Prayer for forgiveness (v11)

C’: Assurance of guidance (vv12-14)

A’: Prayer for deliverance and protection (vv15-22)

 

* * *

 

Wilson:

 

Statement of trust (vv1-3)

Plea for deliverance (vv4-7)

In praise of God’s faithfulness (vv8-10)

The pivotal prayer (v11)

Those who fear Yahweh (vv12-15)

The final plea (vv16-21)

Communal plea for redemption (v22)

 

* * *

 

Spurgeon

 

Prayer – vv1-7

Meditation – vv8-10

Prayer – v11

Meditation – vv12-15

Prayer – vv16-end

 

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