Introduction to Psalms

Attempting to summarize the book of Psalms feels a little like trying to fit the ocean into a tea cup.  There is a natural structure provided in the five divisions that are seen in the book.  It seems best to stick with those divisions but it is also hard to distinguish a specific purpose or separate theme for each of the divisions.  Many themes recur in all of the books.  There have been attempts made to identify each of the five books of Psalms with the five books of the Pentateuch.  This is certainly an interesting observation but often seems to be a forced interpretation.  I really don’t think that the structure of the collection of Psalms is of vital importance.  My tendency in studying them would be to take each individual Psalm as its own unit and not worry too much about the section or book that it appears in.  David is the author of about half of the Psalms.  Asaph and the sons of Korah made significant contributions.  Many of the Psalms are by unknown authors.  As we read the Psalms we cannot escape the central idea of the book which is simply praise and worship.  God created us for this purpose and the book of Psalms is an expression of how we are to go about fulfilling that purpose.  God created us to enjoy a relationship with Him and the Psalms give expression to that relationship.  We are called to praise Him, pray to Him, admire Him, give obedience to Him, confess our sins to Him, wait on Him, trust Him and love Him.  These are all expressions of worship that we see repeatedly being emphasized in the Psalms.  Since I have already done a chapter by chapter study of the Psalms I think it best to simply stick with the five book divisions provided in the text.  I will make a few comments on each section without being concerned about covering the entire content of the section.

 BOOK ONE GOD IS OUR SAVIOR:  This group of Psalms are almost all attributed to David.  They focus on the promise of the coming Messiah.  God has promised to save His people from their sins and He will accomplish this through the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The expectations of the people were for a Messiah who would reign as King but He is presented here as the Messiah who will suffer in order to pay the price for our sin.  David calls on the Lord to deliver Him from his enemies and declares his trust in the Lord.  David spent many years running from Saul and was in a constant state of war with the surrounding nations.  His life was marked by hardship and danger but He looked to the Lord for His protection, guidance and strength.  All of us face difficulties, the most serious of which is our sinfulness.  The Lord is ready to provide forgiveness and deliverance to all who trust in Him and call upon His name.  The promise of His suffering provides relief from our suffering.  Our response in light of these truths should be to praise and worship Him. 

BOOK TWO GOD IS OUR JUDGE: This section contains the majority of the songs that are attributed to the Sons of Korah.  These Psalms focus on the greatness of God and His holiness.  He is the truth, the light, our help, eternal, our fortress, the ruler over all the Earth and the Judge to whom we must all give an account.  We need not fear the circumstance of this world or the troubles that might come upon us; but we must walk in fear of the Lord.  Even though He is faithful to punish sin; he is also merciful and able to cleans us from all of our sin.  David is punished by God for his sexual sinful relationship but He also receives forgiveness and is restored to fellowship with Him.  None of us are worthy to stand in the presence of the Lord who judges us in righteousness.  However, we can trust in Him and know that He has made atonement for our sin.  God is able to deliver us from our sin as well as from those who would persecute us.  He is the ultimate judge of all of the nations.  There may be times when it seems like the wicked are prospering in a way that seems unfair, but God is faithful and just and in the end He will make all things right.  We can trust in the justice of God and must learn to rest in Him when we feel we are unfairly treated by the wicked but must also learn to walk in fear of Him when we walk in the path of unrighteousness.

BOOK THREE GOD IS OUR PROVIDER:  This section contains the Psalms that are attributed to Asaph.  The section seems to focus on God’s relationship with the nation of Israel and their worship of Him in the temple. In the opening chapters there are many complaints about the way that things seem to be unfair to those who seek to follow the Lord.  There truly are times when it seems as if the wicked prosper and those who seek to follow the Lord suffer.  However, the tone eventually changes to a recognition that this condition is only temporary and that God is always faithful to do what is right.  Even though there might be suffering in the nation and in our individual lives; we all must admit that we deserve all the suffering we get plus much more.  Despite all of this, God is always faithful to provide for all of our needs.  We must learn to seek for Him in times of trouble instead of questioning and doubting His goodness and grace.  It may seem like our suffering lasts forever but God is ready to defend the weak and refresh those who are in need.  We must recognize His love and praise Him for His excellent goodness to all who trust in Him.  We can rest in the Lord who provides for us even when we face desperate circumstances.

BOOK FOUR GOD IS OUR KING:  This section starts with the Psalm of Moses.  This book looks to the Lord as the king and ruler over all that is and the entire universe.  He is in charge of the events of this earth and every detail of our lives.  In light of who He is, our job is to worship Him, praise and admire Him.  His holiness, justice, integrity and availability are all astounding blessings He bestows on His people and He is to be praised for all His works.  His greatness should constantly be on our lips.  We should give thanks to Him and tell others of the greatness of our King.  Many people have a problem with authority and try to establish themselves and rulers over their own lives.  This is an exercise in futility.  No matter how many titles a man might earn on this Earth; he will never displace the Lord.  In light of who God is as the sovereign King of the world; we owe Him our devotion, admiration and praise.

BOOK FIVE GOD IS OUR GUIDE: This section is most known for the section of the Psalms called Psalms of Ascent.  These were Psalms that were sung as people would ascend into the temple to worship.  God’s Word is another recurring theme in this section that shows us that God has been our Guide through the revelation of His Word.  He has told us all that we need to know about Him and our worship of Him through the Bible.  Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and is an amazing dedication to the person and work of God as revealed in His Word.  God’s greatest desire is to lead His people in worship.  This is the purpose for which we were created and will enjoy unabated fellowship with God as we come into His presence due to the work of Christ on our behalf.  He delights in our praise and calls us to worship His with all of our hearts.  God expects us to use His Word as our guide to walk through life.  Anytime we stray from that presence with Him we can expect to be judged.  We must learn to look to Him for all direction in our lives and fulfill our purpose of being on this earth which is to worship Him in all we do and say.