Psalms: Introduction
The book of Psalms is widely used as devotional literature. It has been for centuries and millennia. It was the liturgical songbook of Israel. It was the first hymnal of the first church. The psalter is such a part of Western culture that Psalm 23 finds itself in the rap songs, films about the old West, and everything in between. The Psalter is a book that is turned to often in times of deep grief as one looks for comfort. But there is more to the Psalms than just an encyclopedia of songs for occasions.
The first-century church that we read about in the book of Acts did not have the New Testament. The first NT book was not written until at least 15 years after the birthday of the church. It would probably be at least 50 years from that time until all of the books of the NT were in circulation and then later still for them to be bound together in one book. The Bible of the apostles and the first-century church was the Old Testament. It was from the Hebrew Scriptures that Jesus taught the apostles about the meaning of His life, death, burial, and resurrection (Luke 24:45). He mentions all three parts of the Hebrew Bible: Law, Prophets, and Psalms (or writings).
In the book of Acts, we find the apostles referring back to the OT to defend their experiences and teachings. Peter says that the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost was a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:15-21; Joel 2:28-32). It was to the Psalms that Peter turned to when he defended Jesus's resurrection and when he preached the Gospel after the lame man was healed at the Gate Beautiful. In fact, the writers of the NT turned to the Psalms more than any other book in their preaching. The NT quotes, or alludes to, or paraphrases the OT in at least 800 verses, and 206 of these times is from Psalms. Psalm 110:1 is the most frequently alluded to, quoted, or paraphrased OT verse in the NT (20 times). Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1 and confounded the Pharisees (Matt. 22:43-44).
One of the things that revolutionized my understanding and reading of the Psalter a few years ago was reading and studying the book The Messiah in the Psalms: Discovering Christ in Unexpected Places by Daniel Segrave. In the book, he argues that the Psalter is primarily a messianic book, As a whole, the book of Psalms is not merely a book to turn to in search of wisdom or encouragement; it is a book that we turn to in order to know Jesus better. And this does not eliminate the Psalter's value for turning to it devotionally; it enhances it. When we read the Psalter as the prayers of the Messiah we see that it is not just David, or Moses, or Asaph, or any of the other anonymous writers of the Psalms that we are identifying with in our moments of victory or suffering. The One whose Spirit spoke through the human authors was the Lord Jesus Christ. We can learn about the emotional life of our Lord not only through the Gospels but through the Psalms.
1 Peter 1:11 KJV
"Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."
2 Samuel 23:2 KJV
The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
Jesus prayed the Psalms. His dying words were from Psalm 22:1, "Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani? (My God, My God why have you forsaken me?)" (Matt. 27:46). The Psalms show the "costly solidarity" of God with us. Jesus was fully Human, and we have a High Priest who can be touched by the feelings of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15). There are some aspects of the Psalter that will surprise us as a part of Christian worship, and I believe will help us heal if we learn to use them well.
The title The Book of Psalms is taken from the LXX title Psalmoi, which means "hymns sung to musical accompaniment." The Hebrew word mizmor, meaning "a song sung with musical accompaniment," appears fifty-seven times in the Psalter, but the actual Hebrew title is Tehillim. Tehillim means "praises." The psalter is a book of praises. It is also a book of prayers. The first section of the book is called "the prayers (tefillot) of David" (Psalms 3-72; Psalm 72:20).
Writers of Psalms:
Ninety-nine of the psalms have identified authors in their superscriptions.
Moses is the author of Psalm 90.
David wrote seventy-three psalms.
Two are attributed to Solomon.
Asaph wrote twelve meant to be sung by the Levitical choirs (Pss. 50, 73-83).
Eleven were written by "the sons of Korah," another group of singers and musicians who survived the rebellion of their ancestor in the time of Moses (Pss. 42-49, 84, 85, 87 and 88; see Numbers 26:9-11).
Ethan the Ezrahite wrote Psalm 89.
Then there are psalms like the songs of ascent (Psalms 120-134).
There are other anonymous psalms that may be attributed or associated with the authors of surrounding psalms.
All of these psalms were written on different occasions and for different purposes but ultimately were complied together through the work of the Spirit through human authors and collectors and editors. The book of Psalms is both perfectly human and perfectly Divine.
The Psalms as Hebrew Poetry:
We often refer to the Book of Psalms as a book of poetry. A poem is defined as "a piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits such formal elements as meter, rhyme, and stanzaic structure." Hebrew poetry is different from English poetry. Understanding a little about Hebrew poetry can be helpful as we seek to interpret the contents of the Psalter. Hebrew poetry as found in the Bible does not use rhyming words but something like rhyming ideas. This is called parallelism. In parallelism, an idea is described in one line and then completed, contrasted, or built up in the next or following lines.
The completion parallel is poetry in which the second phrase completes the first in the sense of agreement and further development. Psalm 92:12 is a great example:
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree:
he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
The first phrase introduces the subject of the prosperity of the righteous; the final phrase agrees and develops the idea further by illustrating how his strength in prosperity.
In contrastive parallelism, the second line contrasts the first. Psalm 1:6 is a great example:
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous;
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
The first phrase is positive. The second phrase is negative.
The constructive parallel consists of a series of ideas that are added one on top of another until a whole is formed. Each thought builds upon another. Psalm 1:
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
Another form of parallelism can be called climactic. The first line states an idea and the following line completes it. Psalm 96:7:
Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Give to the LORD glory and strength.
Psalm 1:3-4 is emblematic parallelism. In the first line, there is a figure of speech. The lines following explain or expand on the meaning of the figure.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatsoever he does shall prosper.
We cannot be dogmatic about these forms of parallelism. If you read different authors you will find different ways of explaining them. The point is to recognize that Hebrew poetry is a rhyme of ideas rather than words where two lines or more give a complete thought. The Psalter begins with an admonition to meditate in its contents (Psalm 1:2). Parallelism helps with meditation. Putting this into practice can be done by reading the first line, stopping to think about it, and then reading the second line, stopping to meditate on it, then returning to the first line.
There is a balance between parallel lines in Hebrew poetry. It is often not seen in translation, but the first and second lines of Hebrew poetry are usually three words in length. The psalms of lament usually have three words in the first line and two in the second. Using a contemporary translation of the Psalms for study will help you see the structure of the psalms better. The Psalter uses figurative language. The psalms are saturated with simile and metaphor.
The Structure of the Psalter:
The Psalter is not an encyclopedia of select chapters for various occasions. It has a structure that we may miss sometimes if we are not intentional about our reading. The Psalter was not written in one sitting. The various psalms were written over centuries and there were various collections of psalms at different times. Some of these collections may have been larger or smaller than what we have in the Bible today. Eventually, those who put the Psalter together put it together for a specific theological purpose. They did this under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God was involved, guiding the human authors, collectors, and editors of the collection of psalms until it came to its present shape.
Psalm 1 is an introduction to the entire book. It says that the person who picks up the book of Psalms should meditate in it day and night and that if they do, they will prosper. Psalm 1 says the person who meditates in "the law of the Lord." It is not suggesting that we would be better off meditating on the law codes in the Pentateuch or reading the Torah. The Hebrew word for "law" is torah, but torah has a multitude of meaning and here it is actually referring to the book of Psalms. It is like a new Torah, a Torah set to music. Torah means instruction. Psalm 2 is a Messianic psalm. It refers to Jesus. The idea of having these two psalms as an introduction to the Psalter is that meditating on God's instruction will lead you to a relationship with Jesus. The Psalter is a book that instructs us. Remember that the most quoted OT book by the NT writers is the book of Psalms. The psalms are not simply stringed together from various collections without any meaningful structure. As we have said they are often put together according to themes. We will look deeper at this in the weeks to come. As an overarching structure, the Psalms can be broken down into five sections or books. "The rabbis saw a parallel here with the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, as if the Psalter was planned as a counterpart, the five books of David" (Leslie C. Allen). The five books of the Psalter are:
The first book extends from Psalm 3 through Psalm 41. It concludes with the words: "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen!" (Psalm 41:13).
The second book extends from Psalm 42 through Psalm 72. It concludes with the words: "Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen!" (Psalm 72:18-19).
The third book extends from Psalm 73 through Psalm 89. It ends with the words: "Blessed be the LORD forevermore! Amen and Amen!" (Psalm 89:52).
The fourth book extends from Psalm 90 through Psalm 106, concluding with the words: "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, 'Amen!' Praise the LORD! (Psalm 106:48).
The fifth book extends from Psalm 107 through Psalm 150. Psalm 150 breaks with the usual form of the psalms that we find throughout the Psalter and is simply pure praise. There is no commandment to obey, no complaint that things are not working out, just praise! Psalm 150 ends simply, "Amen!" Psalm 150 is the doxology of the final book of psalms and the entire Psalter.
These doxologies were added to shape the structure of the Psalter. Our journey through the hills and valleys of life ends with praise.
There are various types of psalms within the psalter that may have served various functions throughout Israel's history. We will talk more about them and their particular purposes. But one of the most important things for us to look at as we look at the Psalter is to look at it realizing that Jesus's prayers and words fill its pages. It is ultimately about Him and about His costly solidarity with us. He knows about life's highs and lows, about life's hills and valleys. The Psalter is a hymnbook for the journey of life. We know that it is a journey of ups and downs. That is just the way life is.
Walter Brueggemann has discerned a model for looking at the Psalms that I think is helpful for us. He says that there are psalms of orientation, psalms of disorientation, and psalms of new orientation. These correspond to the gospel--the life, death, burial, resurrection of our Lord, His ascension, exaltation, the outpouring of the Spirit, and the new creation.
The psalms of orientation are those that speak about the goodness of God's creation, about the creation working as it should. These are like creation psalms, wisdom psalms, retribution psalms.
The psalms of orientation are those psalms often described as laments.
The psalms of new orientation are songs of surprise about unexpected deliverance.
Psalm 1 is a psalm of orientation. It is an admonition to trust and obey and everything will be okay. Psalm 150 is an abandonment of all else in a crescendo of praise. There is a reason that these are the bookends of the Psalter, but the middle is messy. It is in the middle of life that our childlike naivete gives way to the reality of life in the fallen world. And that is why the psalms are there for the journey, for the hills and valleys of life. The Psalter mirrors the broad range of human experience. The three phases of life are orientation, disorientation, and new orientation (or reorientation). The psalms give expression to the different moods we experience in these hills and valleys of life and related them to God. God is transcendent, yet sympathetic to our frame, because in Christ He has become one of us.
1. Orientation
These are the psalms that say, "The sun is shining and the ship of life is running on a smooth course. God is in heaven and creation works. Everything is okay." These psalms tell us the formulas for how to live a happy life (e.g. Psalm 1). They say that the world is just.
Songs of Creation (Psalms 145, 104, 33, 8)
Torah Psalms (Psalms 1, 119, 15, 24)
Wisdom Psalms (Psalms 37, 14,
Retribution Psalms (Psalms 112)
Occasions of Well-Being (Psalms 133, 131)
These psalms can be hurtful when we are experiencing pain and brokenness. They can also be abused by well-meaning "Job's comforters." The Pharisees of Jesus's day took these to mean that if you were not experiencing the blessings of God, you must be sinning, but the wisdom literature (Job and Ecclesiastes) teaches us. Sometimes even for the most righteous life gets disoriented in the middle.
2. Disorientation
These psalms are those that we can relate to, perhaps most often in life under the sun. They are the psalms that ask like the disciples in the storm on the sea of Galilee, "Lord do you care that we perish?!" (Mark 4:38). We are often shocked by the suddenness of life's drastic and terrible transitions. We say things like, "It should not be this way." The types of psalms that fit into this category are:
Psalms of Personal Lament (Psalm 13, 86, 35)
Psalms of Communal Lament (Psalm 74, 79, 137)
Two Problem Psalms (Psalms 88, 109)
3. New Orientation
These are the psalms that relate to when the storm is over and life returns to calm. Often the way things turn out is surprising. Life can never really return to exactly the way it was
Psalms of Thanksgiving (Psalms 30, 40, 138, 34)
Community Thanksgiving Psalms (Psalms 65, 66, 124)
Royal Psalms (Psalms 114, 29, 96, 93, 97, 98, 99, 47)
We are always moving between these three seasons of life. TW Barnes said we are either enter a storm, in the midst of a storm, or we have just exited a storm. All of life is transitional. We may be on a mountain top today, but we may be in a valley tomorrow. And that valley will not last forever. God has a way of reversing our fortunes, rescuing and delivering us. He has given us this precious book of psalms in order for us to relate to Him, express our thoughts and process our emotions as an act of worship. Far too often we do not bring all that we are to Christian worship and perhaps that keeps us stuck. This is what to expect throughout the next ten weeks: we will be looking at these psalms and their various forms asking God to help us to see Him more clearly and to embrace Him more deeply. The Psalmists did and their Lord did. So can we.
For the Road:
This upcoming week, I encourage you to read and meditate on Psalms 145, 104, 33, and 8. Write down your thoughts. Read them from various versions. Try to imagine what the writers of these Psalms might have been experiencing when they wrote them. Then think about the Lord Jesus and the various seasons of His Life. Remember that these are the words inspired by His Spirit and that are His prayers. How do these relate to what Jesus experienced in His life? Finally, as you read them cross-reference the places where the apostles and writers of the NT used or alluded to them.
