The Book of Psalms
By Bro David Petersen
The Book of Psalms
Introduction |
Psalm 1 |
Psalm 9 |
Psalm 23 |
Psalm 30 |
Psalm 33 |
Psalm 34 |
Psalm 46 |
Psalm 96 |
Psalm 103 |
Psalm 119
The Psalms Are Still In Force
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).
The Psalms are a collection of prayers, poems, and hymns that focus the worshiper's thoughts on God in praise, adoration and thanksgiving. Parts of this Book were used as a hymnal in the worship services of ancient Israel.
The musical heritage of the psalms is demonstrated by the title. It comes from a Greek word "psalmos", which means "a song sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument." The equivalent Hebrew word means "book of praises."
Music is a gift from God that enables us to praise him in a way that words cannot express. It expresses inexpressable joy from the heart that words cannot convery. We know from Peter that there is a "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet 1:8). That is why James said "Is any of you merry? Let him sing psalms" (James 5:13).
There are 150 individual psalms and it is the longest in the Bible.
In the original Hebrew manuscripts, this long collection of 150 psalms was divided into five sections: Book 1 (1-41); Book 2 (42-72); Book 3 (73-89); Book 4 (90-106); and Book 5 (107-150). Each of these major sections closes with a brief prayer of praise.
Many modern translations of the Bible retain this fivefold division. Scholars are not sure exactly why the Book of Psalms was organized in this manner.
How To Refer To The Psalms
The Book of Psalms is divided into psalms, not chapters. Therfore we say "Psalm 51" or "the 51st psalm," not "Psalms chapter 51" or "Psalms 51."
Themes
The psalms express our human response to God. At times God is presented in all His majesty and glory. Our response is wonder, awe, and fear: "Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth" (68:32). But other psalms portray God as a loving Lord who is involved in our lives. Our response in these cases is to draw close to His comfort and security: "I will fear no evil; for You are with me" (23:4).
God is the same Lord in both these psalms. But we respond to Him in different ways, according to the specific needs of our lives. What a marvelous God we worship, the psalmist declares-One who is high and lifted up beyond our human experiences but also one who is close enough to touch and who walks beside us along life's way.
In psalms of lament, the psalmist never despairs. Instead he cries unto the Lord for relief. The psalmist teaches us that we can cry to the Lord for help as we find ourselves overwhelmed by the problems of life.
Prophetic Psalms
"And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me" (Luke 24:44).
As Jesus proclaimed in Luke 44 above, the psalms also have a great deal to say about the person and work of Christ. Psalm 22 contains an amazingly detailed prophecy of the crucifixion of the Savior. Jesus quoted from this psalm as He was dying on the cross (Ps 22:1; Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34). Other statements about the Messiah from the psalms that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus include these predictions: He would be a priest like Melchizedek (Ps 110:4; Heb 5:6); He would pray for His enemies (Ps 109:4; Luke 23:34); and His throne would be established forever (Ps 45:6; Heb 1:8).
Author and Date
Mark 12:35-37
35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?
36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
There are 2 things about the Lord's reference to Psalm 110 above that I would like to point out. First he declares David to be the author of this psalm. So now we have an authoritative statement that David was a writer of psalms. Second the phrase "by the Holy Ghost" shows that David's psalms were inspired by God and are to be taken as scripture.
Seventy-three psalms are ascribed to David. David's personality and experiences are clearly stamped on many of these psalms. For example, Psalm 18 is a psalm of David which sings praises to God as the sovereign Savior. The title indicates it was written after David was delivered "from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul." The same psalm in almost identical wording appears in 2 Sam 22. This passage indicates that David sang this song after the death of Saul and upon his succession to the throne as the new king of Judah.
Two of the psalms (Ps 72 and Ps 127) are attributed to Solomon, David's son and successor.
Another group of 12 psalms (50 and 73-83) are ascribed to the family of Asaph.
The sons of Korah wrote 11 psalms (42; 44:1-49:20; 84:1-85:13; 87:1-88:18).
Ps 88 is attributed to Heman.
Ps 89 is assigned to Ethan the Ezrahite.
Ps 90 is a prayer assigned to Moses.
Fifty of the psalms designate no specific person as author.
With the exception of Solomon and Moses, all these additional authors were priests or Levites who were responsible for providing music for sanctuary worship during David's reign. So most of the psalms were written around 1000-950 B.C.
Yes, most of the psalms were written 3000 years ago and it is amazing how they are still relevant and apply today. Another amazing aspect about them is that they can have double meanings. For example, David can write about the God of his salvation in referring to how God saved him from his earthly enemies. And we can apply that phrase to the God of our eternal salvation. Or was David praising the Lord for eternal salvation as well?
The oldest psalm in the collection is probably the prayer of Moses (90), a reflection on the frailty of man as compared to the eternity of God. The latest psalm is probably 137, a song of lament clearly written during the days when the Hebrews were being held captive by the Babylonians, from about 586 to 538 B.C. It is clear that the 150 individual psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They must have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the Captivity ended about 537 B.C.
David Appoints Tabernacle Musicians
As king and spiritual leader of Israel, David organized the services of worship in the tabernacle, appointing priests and Levites for the specific purpose of providing songs and music.
1 Chron 6:31-47
31 And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.
32 And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order.
33 And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,
[Notice that the psalm writer Heman was the grandson of the prophet Samuel]
34 The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,
35 The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,
36 The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,
37 The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
38 The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
39 And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea,
40 The son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchiah,
41 The son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,
42 The son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,
43 The son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.
44 And their brethren the sons of Merari stood on the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,
45 The son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,
46 The son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer,
47 The son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
1 Chron 25:1-7
25:1 Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was:
2 Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king.
3 Of Jeduthun <Ethan>: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD.
4 Of Heman: the sons of Heman; Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth:
5 All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6 All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.
7 So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight (288).
David Brings The Ark To The Tabernacle
1 Chron 16:1
16:1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.
<skip to v7>
7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.
8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.
10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.
12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
<skip to v 34>
34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
35 And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.
36 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the LORD.
It might just be me but I see this as exciting, powerful, loud music. It was stirring enough to compel all the people to say "amen" and to praise the Lord.
After David went to be with the Lord, Asaph, Heman and Ethan played this same psalm at the dedication of the temple under the reign of King Solomon.
The Temple Dedication
2 Chron 5:12-14
12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
I always assumed that verse 13 meant that they priests could not continue because they could not see through the cloud. But notice that the verse does not say that they could not "see". Instead it says that they could not STAND. Hebrew " amad" to stand, to remain, to endure, to take one's stand, to hold one's ground, to continue, to abide
They had probably just finished singing "O give thanks to the Lord" just before they sang "for he is good" because that's how the song went. This is the end of the song right before all the people say "Amen". This is the crescendo at the end of the song. (See 1 Chron 16:34).
Two brothers chatting by the temple door after the service:
Brother 1: "You know, I thought we had a pretty good service today".
Brother 2: "Yes, I sorta felt uplifted."
The conversations after the temple dedication probably did not go anything like the casual discussion of brothers 1 and 2 above. People were so overwhelmed by the glory of God that they could not stand (continue). They carried people out of there. Nobody stood there and said "Amen".
How To React To The Psalms
The psalms are designed to cause us to see the glory of God. So what do we do? Well, this tells us "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his mercy endureth forever".
The Psalmist said "his mercy endureth forever". Our question should be: "How could God allow me, a sinner to continue to enjoy all these blessings?". Answer: mercy.
We lack appreciation for the great mercy of God that allows us to live. God loves us and does not want anyone to perish. His longsuffering gives us opportunity to repent.
God's mercy is manifest in the following discussion that the Lord had with his disciples.
The disciples asked the right question when they said "Lord, who then can be saved?". And Jesus answered "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:25-26). The right question isn't "Why do people go to hell?". When we begin to fathom the mercy of God we will ask "how is anybody saved at all?".
We should not be shocked by God's justice. We should instead be in awe of his great mercy. Don't challenge his goodness. As the Psalmist said "The Lord is good."
His "mercy that endureth forever" to those who love him; to those who turn away from sin and turn to Jesus for the free gift of salvation.
His mercy gives us opportunity to repent and be saved. However, "it is appointed to man once to die, and after this the judgment." We have the opportunity to take advantage of God's mercy during this lifetime. If we miss that opportunity then we face an angry God in judgment.
Background of Psalm Content
The psalms deal with many different subjects as God, blessedness, creation, enemies, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of the Messiah.
Some of the psalms written by David describe specific experiences in his life. For example, Ps 3 is described as "a Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son" (see also 51; 52; 54; 56; 57; 59). But others seem to be general psalms that arose from no specific life situation (53; 55; 58). Knowing the particular historical background of a psalm can help the student interpret it correctly and apply its message to life today.
Hebrew Poetry
The Book of Psalms demonstrates the nature of Hebrew poetry. The principle upon which this poetry is based is not rhythm or rhyme but parallelism. In parallelism, one phrase is followed by another that says essentially the same thing but in a more creative, expressive way. Here is a good example of this poetic technique:
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge
(46:11).
This example is known as synonymous parallelism because the second phrase expresses the same thought as the first. But sometimes the succeeding line introduces a thought that is directly opposite to the first idea. This is known as antithetic parallelism. Here is a familiar couplet that demonstrates this form:
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish
(1:6).
A third kind of parallelism in Hebrew poetry may be called progressive, or climbing-in which part of the first line is repeated in the second, but also something more is added. For example:
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice
(93:3).
Prophetic Psalms
Many psalms prophesy of the coming Messiah. Jesus fulfilled these prophecies during his personal ministry on earth; as Paul explained in his sermon at Antioch in Pisidia.
Acts 13:32-39
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.