Intro to Psalms

Pastor Chris introduces the book of Psalms. 

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Transcript

Intro to the Psalms

“Only a Philistine would not enjoy the book of Psalms” joked one scholar. 

Welcome to a bonus episode of One Chapter, One Thought, I’m Pastor Chris from Lincroft Bible Church in New Jersey. And today I want to introduce you to the book of Psalms. 

Intro

Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers. The psalms were written over a long period of Israel history. For example, Psalm 90 was written by Moses who lived 300 to 400 years before King David, who wrote many many psalms. So these were written over a long time by different authors. But eventually, they were collected and arranged in the book we have today. 

100 of these Psalms have a named author like Daivd, or Asaph, or Solomon. David is credited with writing 73 Psalms, the most of any named author. 

Now the Psalms are written in Hebrew poetry. Now, Hebrew poetry doesn’t rhyme like our English poetry. Actually, there is no scholarly consensus on what really makes Hebrew poetry work. It’s not rhythming, some think it might be meter or stress on certain syllables. But overall, there’s not much consensus. But at root, poetry is highly metaphorical. So we need to remember that much of what we read in the Psalms is not literal but symbolic and metaphorical. 

Many of these Psalms were used in Israel’s worship. So we can think of the Psalms as a worship book for the life of God’s people. 

Genre

So the Psalms are poems used in worship of God, but throughout the book of Psalms, we also need to recognize that there are different kinds of Psalms. 

1. Psalms of Praise

Probably the most familiar Psalms to use are Psalms of Praise. These are Psalm which describe God’s marvelous works and enjoin others to worship him for them. For example, Psalm 135 begins, “Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord” (135:1). Psalm 98:1 says, “Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!” These Psalms worship the Lord. 

2. Psalms of Lament

But then there are Psalms that sound very different: Psalms of Lament. Psalms of Lament are complaints about difficult circumstances poured out before the Lord. Psalm 13:1 begins, “How long, O Lord, Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” Some laments are from individuals and some seem to come from the whole nation of Israel before the Lord. But the Psalms do not hide suffering from the Lord; they bring it before him. 

3. Wisdom Psalm

Another kind of Psalm is the wisdom Psalm. These Psalms function to instruct us on how to live before the Lord. Sometimes they do this by describing the flourishing life found in God. Psalm 1:1, “How blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night!”

4. Imprecatory Psalm

There are also imprecatory (or cursing) Psalms. These psalms vent frustrations and express a desire for vengeance against one’s enemies. Psalm 69:22, 28: “Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap…Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.” These Psalms bring the hurt and pain from one’s enemies directly to the Lord. Some Christians, even like an esteemed theologian like C.S. Lewis, sees these sentiments are misguided. But we must remember that these things are vented…to the Lord. I think it’s entirely appropriate to pray these kinds of prayers against our enemies, as long as we are longing for the Lord to bring his justice. 

5. Royal/Messiance Psalms

A final kind of Psalm is what I would call the royal or messianic psalms. These Psalms seem to focused on the coming King, the coming Messiah of Israel. Psalm 2 speaks of the coming king’s rule over all nations. Psalm 89 speaks of a new David who will rule over Israel and the nations. These Psalms are important because they show us that this book isn’t solely about me and my emotions, but about God and his kingdom. 

Arrangement

In fact, how the whole book of Psalms is arranged a particular way. This larger book of Psalms is broken down in 5 units:

• Book 1: Psalms 1–41
• Book 2: Psalms 42–72
• Book 3: Psalms 73–89
• Book 4: Psalms 90–106
• Book 5: Psalms 107–150

So the question is why was this book arranged this way? First, there is an intentional call back to Moses and the first five books of the Bible, what Jews call the Torah. It seems like it could be intended as a five-part prayer book to take express through prayer a heart shaped by the Law of God. Furthermore, Dr. James Hamilton from Southern Seminary in Louisville (who happened to be the program director when I studied there for my doctorate) argues that there is a loose storyline to Psalms, tracing the rise and fall of King David, and the establishment of a new David coming in the future:

"Hamilton suggests that Book 1 (Pss 1–41) traces David’s establishment as king. Book 2 follows his bringing the ark to Jerusalem (Pss 42–50), sin with Bathsheba (Ps 51), consequences (Pss 52–60), and recovery (Pss 61–72). Book 3 (Pss 73–89) follows Solomon and subsequent kings along the downfall, destruction, and exile of God’s people. Book 4 (Pss 90–106) answers the uncertainty that God will remain faithful to David’s seed by reaffirming Yahweh’s reign and his steadfast faithfulness to his promises. Book 5 (Pss 107–150) anticipates the future reign of David’s heir forever, resulting in universal praise" (Source)

Fulfillment in Christ

So from the fact of the royal Psalms to the basic storyline of the Psalms, we see that they point us forward to Christ. He fulfilled them. He is the new David who rules and reigns over God’s people. The New Testament explicitly shows that Christ fulfills Psalms like Psalm 2, 16, and 110. Jesus constantly used the Psalm. When he is being crucified, it is the Psalms on his lips in his most trying time, “My God My God why have you forsaken me” he prays from Psalm 22:1 while dying. In the Psalms we hear Jesus’ voice through voice of the Psalm in the voice of the righteous sufferer, in the voice of the king, in the cry of the afflicted servant, and in the praise of the delivered one. All of these were fulfilled in Christ. 

How Do We Read the Psalms Well?

So how do we read the Psalms well? I think asking three questions:

• What’s going on in this Psalm? Most basic question, but what is going on? For example, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. What’s going on in this chapter? We find the author praising the word of God. The Psalmist uses 8 different words to describe the Word of God: Instruction, Testimony, Precept, Statute, Commandment, Judgment, Word, and Promise. So he’s show the utter beauty and enduring truth of God’s Word. 
• How does it relate to Jesus? If Psalm 119 is praising God’s Word, how does it relate to Jesus? Well, we know that Jesus is the Word of God. We can praise Jesus for doing all the things that God’s Word, Jesus instructs us, gives us promises, commandments, etc. We also see that Jesus was devoted to the word of God. Again, look at how much Jesus used Scripture in his ministry. He is constantly quoting, teaching, and explaining Scripture. This is the Jesus level. 
• How does this Psalm relate to my life and my emotions? Finally, there’s the personal application. How does this Psalm relate to my life and my emotions? You can probably resonate with some of the emotions expressed in these Psalms. They can help you process what you’re going through. But back to Psalm 119, what we see is that the same posture the author has towards God’s Word in the Psalm should be ours! We should be devoted to God’s word like the author is. So are you reading it, studying it, meditating on it, and making it part of your life?

Conclusion

The book of Psalm is unlike any other book of the Bible. It recounts the highest highs and the lowest lows of the human experience. It puts the human heart before the Lord into song lyrics. It re-tells the grand story of the whole Bible: creation, sin, and the hope of salvation in poetic verse. And most of all, Psalms points us to Christ, the new Davidic King who delivers his people and gives them a heart of praise!