Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

Today’s reading:  Psalm 105

Are you familiar with the claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER) framework?  It usually begins to show up in middle school when students learn how to make a hypothesis and support their conclusions with data.  The model goes like this:

Claim – Make a one-sentence statement that answers the question at hand.

Evidence – Provide quantitative and/or qualitative evidence to support the claim.

Reasoning – Explain how/why the evidence supports the claim

As I studied our text for today, Psalm 105, I kept coming back to the CER framework.  The entire chapter follows this model.

Claim (verses 1-2) – The Lord is worthy of our praise.

Evidence (verses 5-41) –

    • God made a covenant with Abraham to make him a great nation.
    • God made an oath with Isaac (Abraham’s son) to be with him and bless him.
    • God promised Jacob (Isaac’s son) he would protect him wherever he went.
      • He allowed no one to oppress Jacob’s family as they wandered from nation to nation.
      • He called down a famine on the land, but sent Joseph (Jacob’s son) to protect them.
    • God made his people fruitful, too numerous for their foes.
    • God sent Moses as a servant, along with Aaron, to lead his people.
    • God performed miracles among the Egyptians to get them to release his people.
      • Covered the earth in darkness.
      • Turned the water to blood.
      • Infested the land with frogs, flies, and gnats.
      • Destroyed the land with hail.
      • Infested the land with locusts.
      • Killed the firstborn of every Egyptian family.
    • God’s people safely escaped Egypt.
    • God guided and cared for his people as they wandered in the wilderness with a cloud by day, fire by night, quail and manna to eat, water to drink.

Reasoning (verses 42-45) – God saved the Israelites so they would follow his ways.  Because God was faithful to deliver on his promises throughout history, he was worthy to be praised.

God was faithful then and is faithful now.  He kept his promises then and keeps his promises now.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom (Psalm 145:3).