Psalm 113: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Psalm 113 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

The psalmist calls the servants of Yahweh to praise Him and bless His name now and forever (vv. 1-2). The name of Yahweh is to be praised from sunrise to sunset (v. 3). Yahweh is exalted above all nations, and His glory surpasses the heavens (v. 4). The speaker asks, 'Who is like Yahweh, our God?' who resides on high (v. 5). Yet, He also looks down from heaven and earth (v. 6). Yahweh lifts the poor from the dust and raises the needy from the ash heap (v. 7). He sets them among princes, alongside the princes of His people (v. 8). Additionally, He places the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children (v. 9).

Key verse

“He raises up the poor out of the dust. Lifts up the needy from the ash heap; that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.”
Psalms 113:7-8 (WEB)

Outline

Psalm 113:1–2 Call to Praise Yahweh
Psalm 113:3–4 Universal Praise for God
Psalm 113:5–6 God’s Supremacy and Attention
Psalm 113:7–9 God's Compassion and Transformation

Discussion questions

Who are the 'servants of Yahweh' told to praise in v1, and for how long in v2?
What does Yahweh do for 'the poor' and 'the needy' in vv. 7-8?
Yahweh 'stoops down to see' in v6 right after 'his seat on high' in v5: what is the psalm saying about him?
Why does the psalm end with a barren woman becoming a 'joyful mother of children' in v9?
Who around you is on the 'ash heap' right now, and what would lifting them look like this week?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Psalm 113: Psalm 57, Luke 1, 1 Samuel 2.

Before next time: read Psalm 114.