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Teaching Psalms

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  • #1

    Teaching Psalms

    I have what some might consider to be the arduous task of teaching Old Testament Lesson 25, which relates entirely to Psalms. As it turns out, I'm not exactly a Psalms expert, and the Lesson guidance is iffy at best. It essentially asks you to cover all of Psalms in one lesson...and then admits that you can't really do that.

    In any event, I thought it would be interesting to share 3-5 of the Psalms "greatest hits," and then bring a modern tie to it as well and talk about hymns that achieve the same purpose as the Psalms.

    So I ask the collective CS brain trust, if you had to pick 1-2 Psalms to teach, which would you choose and why?

    No, Moliere, I'm not asking you to do my calling for me...I am simply drawing upon wisdom far beyond my own.
    "They're good. They've always been good" - David Shaw.

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
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  • #2
    The approach I took one year was to pick a few of them that actually have been set to music, and talk about them and pick out ones in which I thought the music enhanced the message of the psalm. One of the points I made was that they were originally intended to be set to music and while we don't know the specific melodies and rhythms used, the modern settings could help the Spirit communicate their message to us. I used settings I had performed in BYU Singers as well as recordings I had. I think I used one or two from the hymnbook as well. It has been 12-13 years and I no longer have the notes I used or I would share them. But an idea nonetheless.
    “Every player dreams of being a Yankee, and if they don’t it’s because they never got the chance.” Aroldis Chapman

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    • #3
      Psalm 137

      https://youtu.be/XPVTOwbWA6k
      "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

      "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

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      • #4
        Psalm 40

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjtpplE39_g

        Psalm 116

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH_MMHh4MRg start at 1:35

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        • #5
          Last time I taught it, I asked for people to share their favorite Psalm, and the meaning it holds for them. It was a really good lesson.

          My favorite is the most well known Psalm, #23. It nearly perfectly captures how I view my relationship with the Lord. When I spent a year in Iraq, a came to learn that I needed to rely on the arm of the Lord instead of in my own strength.

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          • #6
            Bring a harp

            Originally posted by DrumNFeather View Post
            No, Moliere, I'm not asking you to do my calling for me...I am simply drawing upon wisdom far beyond my own.
            "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

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            • #7
              This was always the favorite lesson of the year, although not quite spiritual. I did a brief summary of the psalms, and then the rest of the class we played Name that Hymn, men against women. I did not do the first line of every hymn, to make it harder. I also did a countdown: first, name that hymn in say, 6 notes, then name that hymn in 5 notes, then name that hymn in 4 notes. One year a guy got it in one note, but only once did this happen.

              If you do this, I recommend doing it on your iphone or ipad, so you can dial up songs by number of notes, or by what the hymn is used for, topic, etc.

              If this is the only lesson you'll be teaching, you'll probably want to get more seriously spiritual about the topic, but when I taught every single week, the class was more than happy to get a breather.

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