Psalms— Israel’s Songbook
06.29.22
Blessed is the man that walks not in the way of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3)
What can we say about the Book of Psalms? It is quite likely the most- beloved book in the entire Bible. Its words bring much comfort to the soul.
Do you have a favorite psalm? For many people that would be Psalm 23. For my part, it is Psalm 27.
The first psalm serves as the introduction to the Psalter. The first three verses quoted above are the key verses of the book.
In the Hebrew the book is called ‘the Book of Praises.’ The word ‘psalms’ refers to songs or poems with musical accompaniment.
While the psalms were authored by many men, David is the chief author. He wrote seventy-three, or just shy of one half of the one hundred fifty psalms. Other authors include Moses, Ethan, Solomon, and the Sons of Korah.
The Psalms were written over a long span of Israel’s history. They begin with Moses, continue with David and his contemporaries and end sometime after the return from Babylonian exile. They were compiled by men like Asaph and Ezra during a 500-year period from 1000 to 500 BC.
Although the themes of the individual psalms vary, the underlying theme of the Psalter is ‘Praise through Prayer.’
John Phillips summed up the psalms in this way: “Many of the psalms were composed for private and public worship; others were born out of deep experiences of the soul. They include meditations, historical recitals, formal instructions, and passionate entreaties. They are a treasury of thought from which to draw when approaching God in prayer whether congregationally or privately, for in the psalms man’s soul is bared. Sin, sorrow, shame, repentance, hope, faith, and love are all expressed, and these things are universal in scope, timeless in nature, and the very stuff of which prayer is made.”
The psalms also vary in type. Some are penitential where the psalmist is confessing his sin before a holy God. The finest example of this is Psalm 51 in which David confessed his grievous sins regarding Uriah and Bath-Sheba.
There are imprecatory psalms [Ps. 79] in which the psalmist is asking for God’s judgment upon the enemy. These can best be understood as we realize that if the Jewish people were destroyed, so would end the source of the Messiah, the hope of Israel and gentile alike.
There are the Golden Psalms, such as Ps. 16. The reason for this designation is unknown. Perhaps, as gold is hidden, so is the secret life of the believer who walks with God.
The Psalms of Degrees or Ascent [120-134] refer to those which Israel sang along the way as families traveled to Jerusalem for the yearly feasts.
The final group of psalms as the Messianic ones which point to Christ. These we will plan to consider next time.