LEARNING INTENTION
LI: I will understand what a psalm is and identify three types of psalms.
What are Psalms?
Psalms are prayers, poems and hymns gathered over a very long period of time. There
are different types of psalms. Some tell stories. Some are songs of praise. Some are
prayers of repentance.
Each psalm has its own unique character but they are all deeply emotional and
profoundly spiritual. The Psalms are not meant to be simply read, but to be prayed.
They encompass the whole range of human emotions from sorrow, lament and
depression to joy, praise and celebration. The whole collection of psalms is often
referred to as The Psalter.
Lament Psalms
We don’t use the word lament very often, but there are lots of laments in the
book of Psalms.
A lament is when someone tells the sad things that are happening to him or her.
Lamenting is something everyone has in common. We are all sad sometimes. The
laments in the Bible show us that we can tell our sad thoughts to God.
Lament Psalms
In Psalm 13:1-4 the writer writes about his sadness. But then he remembers that God
is really with him, even when he doesn’t feel like God is there. Listen to what he says
in verses 5 and 6:
• 5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
By adding verses 5 and 6, the lament changes from focusing on sadness to focusing
on trust in God.
Psalm 13 helps us know that we can bring our sorrows to God and it also helps us
remember God’s promises to us and his love for us.
Thanksgiving Psalms
Psalms of thanksgiving are giving thanks for the wonderful gifts that God
provides.
David wrote many thanksgiving psalms. All through the Psalms, no matter
what David was facing, we read his outpouring of gratitude to God. As he
encountered good times and bad times, David always turned back to the truth
of God’s goodness. This attitude often carried him through the hardest of
situations.
Thanksgiving Psalms
The Psalms of David
• Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he
who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to
him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:1-5 ESV
Praise Psalms
Psalms of praise (yadah - the verb meaning, 'to praise') are identified as such
because of their form and subject matter.
Praise psalms are often more general in their content and more focused on
who God is rather than what he has done.
They are usually used to detail aspects of God's character, which are then
praised by the psalmist. One example of a psalm of praise is a hymn.
Praise Psalms
When God's actions are described, they are frequent A Hymn of Praise[a]
100 Sing to the LORD, all the world!
2 Worship the LORD with joy;
come before him with happy songs!
• 3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God.
He made us, and we belong to him;
we are his people, we are his flock.
• 4 Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving;
go into its courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise him.
• 5 The LORD is good;
his love is eternal
and his faithfulness lasts forever.
LEARNING INTENTION
LI: I will be able to understand the meaning of various psalms.
Psalm 23
Watch this simple
video about Psalm 23.
The psalm is told in
olden day English and
then in modern day
language.
Once you have watch
the clip you can
complete the find a
word.
PSALM 19
PSALM 22
PSALM 34
ACTIVITY
Using Bible Gateway identify and explore the book of psalms in the
Bible.
1. Choose one psalm that resonates with you. Copy the psalm into
your religion book.
2. Write a sentence describing what you think it means.
3. Draw an image to go with the psalm.
LEARNING INTENTION
• I will use the language of a psalm to work out the meaning.
A Morning Prayer
David sang this when he ran away from his son
Absalom.
3 LORD, I have many enemies!
Many people have turned against me.
2 Many are saying about me,
“God won’t rescue him.” Selah
3 But, LORD, you are my shield,
my wonderful God who gives me courage.
4 I will pray to the LORD,
and he will answer me from his holy mountain. Selah
5 I can lie down and go to sleep,
and I will wake up again,
because the LORD gives me strength.
6 Thousands of troops may surround me,
but I am not afraid.
7 LORD, rise up!
My God, come save me!
You have struck my enemies on the cheek;
you have broken the teeth of the wicked.
8 The LORD can save his people.
LORD, bless your people. Selah
Meaning of the Psalm
This psalm has a number of notable firsts to its credit.
1. It is the first psalm in the collection of psalms ascribed to David (3-41), and
is the first of thirteen psalms to bear a superscription giving us historical
data about the psalm.
2. It is the first lament psalm, a cry for help.
3. It is the first psalm to use the term "selah," a term that is probably a musical
notation perhaps meaning pause.
Meaning of the Psalm
It is that historical setting that arrests our attention. David wrote this, in all
probability, while actually fleeing for his life from Absalom.
A result of his sin with Bathsheba David was promised trouble in his house. What
came he could scarcely have imagined -- his own son Absalom attempted to take the
kingdom from him by force. The situation became so bad that David actually left the
walled fortress of Jerusalem to flee across the Jordan river. It was a desperate time.
The king did not know who was with him and who was against him, who would come
to his side and who would fight against him.
All he could do was flee and hope that he would have the time necessary to regroup
and get organized. But would he?
Lyrically this
version is
slightly
different to
the version
you have just
studied.
ACTIVITY
Look at the psalm that you chose last week.
Researching your psalm find the history and the meaning of the psalm.
Then highlight important words in the passage that reflect the meaning
of the psalm.
Then use the highlighted words to create a Wordle or Tagxedo.
LEARNING INTENTION
LI: I will understand that the Gospels in the Bible can tell the same
story using different description.
The Bible is divided into
the New and Old
Testament.
The Bible is made up of
a number of books.
NEW TESTAMENT
The New Testament is the name given to the part of the
Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus
Christ.
The term new testament means a new covenant and was
originally used by early Christians to describe their
relationship with God (see 2 Cor. 3:6-15; Heb. 9:15-20) and
later to designate a particular collection of 27 books.
NEW TESTAMENT
Books of the New Testament The 27 books of the New
Testament were written by various authors at various
times and places.
Unlike the Old Testament, the New Testament was
written in a narrow span of time, over the course of no
more than a century.
GOSPELS
The Gospels focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
• The Gospel of Matthew -- Matthew, a tax-collector and
apostle.
• The Gospel of Mark -- Mark, a follower of Peter and also
Paul.
• The Gospel of Luke -- by Luke, a follower of Paul.
• The Gospel of John -- John, a fisherman and apostle.
ACTIVITY
In your books write a recount of the morning so far.
ACTIVITY
Compare your recount with a partner.
Was there differences?
Why?
Just as you have differences in the way you tell the events so do the
writers of the Gospels.
You may read the same story in Matthew and Mark and they may seem
different but the message is still the same.
LEARNING INTENTION
LI: I will compare a story told from different Gospels
In your book
draw a three
way Venn
diagram. In
the outside
of your
circles write
what is
different
about each
story and in
the middle
write what is
the same.
ACTIVITY
Using the website http://sites.utoronto.ca/religion/synopsis/
Choose the icon that says the Two Q some. This has two Gospels put side by
side.
For this activity you need to carefully scroll to find a story that is the written
about in both Gospels.
You need split a page in half and write the similarities and differences in your
Religion book.
LEARNING INTENTION
LI: I will investigate the differences in the story of the nativity.
ACTIVITY
In your Religion book create a word wall with all the terms that you know about
the nativity story (Jesus’ birth).
NATIVITY
The story that we know as the nativity is a
combination of both Gospels of Matthew and
Luke.
NATIVITY - LUKE
This is the nativity
according to Luke
NATIVITY- MATTHEW
Matthew is not as popular when it
comes to tell the story of the nativity
but it is still included in his Gospel.
There are lot of extra details in
Matthew’s Gospel that for some make
it not as interesting to read. An
example of this is he lists the birth of a
lot of other children around the time
of Jesus.
ACTIVITY
Use Bible Gateway
to find both stories.
Read through the
stories with a
partner.
NATIVITY DIFFERENCES
ASSESSMENT
Using Bible Gateway look at both versions of the nativity story.
Use the assessment sheet to note the similarities and differences
between the two stories.