Week 13 - The Psalms and Proverbs

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Christian Life - Small Group Warm Up Question:

What Easter traditions help you remember and celebrate the true meaning of Resurrection Sunday?

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 37 ~ Psalm 38 ~ Psalm 39 ~ Proverbs 9

1. Read Psalm 37:1. What sorts of things do you “fret” or worry about? Why do we worry? Does worrying do any good?

2. What do you think about these quotes?

a. "Half our fears arise from neglect of the Bible." Charles H. Spurgeon

b. “When anxiety strikes and blurs our vision of God’s glory and the greatness of the future that he plans for us, this does not mean that we are faithless, or that we will not make it to heaven. It means our faith is being attacked.” John Piper

3. Consider what Jesus says: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26) How is this helpful to you?

4. Consider the second part of Psalm 37:1. How would you describe “envy”? Why might we be tempted to be “envious of wrongdoers”? Why does God refer to covetousness as “idolatry” in Colossians 3:5? Why does Psalm 37:8 say that worry leads to evil?

5. Read Psalm 37:4. Why is the second half often quoted out of context by false teachers? If our delight is in the Lord (Psalm 37:4a), what are the “desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4b) that the Lord will give you?

6. Have you every seen Psalm 37:13 as describing God’s laughter? What is He laughing at? Why? How does this give you comfort? How does this give you greater concern for the lost?

7. Is there a particular verse in Psalm 37 that impacted you?

8. When you were a child, how would you be disciplined for your disobedience? What did that discipline feel like? How can human discipline fail by being too permissive or too excessive? What is the goal of discipline? How is God’s discipline perfect? (Psalm 38:1)

9. The Psalmist (David) is obviously at a low point in his life and confesses his own sinfulness. “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. (Psalm 38:18) How can we learn from Psalm 38 when we sin and suffer as a result?

10. Sometimes we do not know the source of our suffering, but we realize the shortness of life when we suffering. What lessons has God taught you in seasons of suffering? (Psalm 39)

11. Skim over Proverbs 9. Do you have a favorite verse? Why? Which verse was hardest for you to make sense of?

12. What are some of the differences between Wisdom and Folly in Proverbs 9 that stand out to you?

13. Read Proverbs 9:7-9. Have you ever experienced this personally? What was that like? How do you handle correction? What are some good tips for handling correction better?

14. How does “Folly” sound a whole lot like Satan? (Proverbs 9:13-18)