Saturday, April 30, 2022

The Book of Psalms

The Book of Psalms is divided into five sections:

  1. Psalm     1 –   41.
  2. Psalm   42 –   72.
  3. Psalm   73 –   89.
  4. Psalm   90 – 106.
  5. Psalm 107 – 150.

The psalms foremost author is king David, who is credited with 73 of the 150 psalms. The others were written by writers such as the sons of Korah (11),
Asaph (12), Solomon (2), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and Moses (1). The book
was compiled after the return from Babylon probably by Ezra. 

The psalms are essential a collection of worship songs, see for example the
psalms 47, 145, 147, and 150. The psalms were used in the temple service
as well as for joint singing and individual devotion:
"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock
of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; 
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!" (Psalm 95:1–2). 

The psalms 113–118 are called the Hallel songs. They are songs of praise. 
Many hymns are guidelines for how to pray. 
"Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." (Heb 13:15).

Some of the psalms use parallelism, a  style of Hebrew poetry used in the
Old Testament, see time 0:22–11:58 in Hebrew Poetry Update.

Many of the psalms contain prophecies about Messiah, see for example Psalm 110. Some are purely prophetic, see Prophecy in Spiritual Gifts. 

Some psalms are imprecatory, that is to utter (a curse) or invoking (an injury, distress, or disaster) against someone or something, see for example the
psalms 35 and 109. All psalms are inspired by the Holy Spirit, approved by God.
In the New Testament we are told not to, see Love and not revenge in 
The Sermon on the Mount. See the following explanations for this:

  • The individuals who wrote imprecatory words in the Bible were used by the Holy Spirit to write what God wanted them to write. These words are prophetic because they are inspired by the Holy Spirit. 
    (2 Tim 3:16, 2 Pet 1:21).
  • They are inspired declarations of judgements from the Lord who is the judge of all the Earth. What we see is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to cause people to speak of judgment on the Lord's enemies
    (Psalm 139:19–22).
  • It's an insight into God's holiness, his hatred of sin at all times.
    See God is holy in God's Attributes. It's only God who can judge people fairly and judge at all    , see Psalm 75: God will judge with equity.
    We aren't allowed to judge by ourselves, see     Do not judge others in 
    The Sermon on the Mount. 
  • We can cry to God but not take things in our own hands.
There are also penitential psalms, such us the psalms 38 and 143. David asks God not to be rebuked because of God's wrath, not to be chastened in his wrath
(Psalm 38:1 (2 in some translations), see God has wrath in God's Attributes. 
Jesus bores God's wrath for us on the cross, see The Crucifixion of Jesus. What comes to us as born again Christians is to be disciplined when we go astray or do something that we shouldn't. See Sanctification and Dealing With Sin in the Church. Penitential psalms express godly sorrow. They are mainly about deep sorrow and remorse for the sin committed, such as Psalm 51: Coming to God when we fail
and Psalm 130: My soul waits for the Lord. 

Note that there is a difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow:
Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to Salvation, while worldly sorrow doesn't (2 Cor 7:8–10). It's a sorrow of being caught and contains no repentance.

Some psalms are about the following:
There is also psalms about people in deep sorrow and depression (Psalm 88).
If you go in that direction, it can be good to read God's promises in the Bible
and choose to stand on them and to believe them as God's truth: 
  • "No evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:10–11).
  • "Because he holds fast to me in love, I (God) will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation." (Psalm 91:14–16). 
There is power in God's word (Rom 10:17), see Psalm 119: Your word is a Light On My Path. See also 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit in The Sermon on the Mount.

David had the following desire to the Lord: "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."
(Psalm 27:4). This was his overridden passion. He isn't talking about an earthly temple (it wasn't yet built), he is talking about the presence of the Lord. David
wants to talk to God, have a personal relationship with him in his glorious presence
(Psalm 142:2 (3 in some translations)). It shows David's devotion to the Lord. One reason why David's focus was so single to the Lord was because he suffered so much during his life. When we go through challenges, we can become more motivated to seek the Lord. The more struggle he faced, the more he wanted to press in and know God. It became his passion.

David had guidelines on how to live a holy life, see 
Psalm 101: How to live a holy life.

God cares about us (Mat 10:29–31, Psalm 65:9–13 (10–14 in some translations)), see Faith, Hope, and Agape Love.

The psalms bring us back to a God-centered focus. We need that reminder.

Psalm 31:

David's expression of faith and hope in the Lord in Psalm 31:
(in some translations you have to add one to the verse number)

  • You are my rock and my fortress (verse 3a).
  • You lead me and guide me (verse 3b).
  • You free me from my enemy's net (verse 4a).
  • You are my refuge (verse 4b).
  • You have redeemed me (verse 5b).
  • I trust in the Lord (verse 6b).
  • I will rejoice in your steadfast love (verse 7a).
  • You have seen my affliction and know my distress (verse 7b).
  • You haven't delivered me to the enemy (verse 8a).
  • You have set my feet in a broad place (verse 8b).
  • My times are in your hands (verse 15a).
  • How abundant is your goodness (verse 19a).
  • You hide and shelter your children (verse 20).
  • You heard the voice of my pleas (verse 22b).
  • The Lord preserves the faithful (verse 23b).

Some verses in the Book of Psalms:

"For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice; the Earth is full of the steadfast love of
the Lord." (Psalm 33:4–5). "God is faithful, by whom you were called into
the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Cor 1:9, 1 Thess 5:24).

"From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!" 
(Psalm 17:2). God is the final ruler and knows who is right and who is wrong.
It's the Lord's standard of right and wrong in a conflict that counts, not what we think is right or wrong. "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23–24).

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1).

"The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." (Psalm 147:11). "He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them." (Psalm 145:19). See To Fear the Lord in Fear of Man.

"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities."
(Psalm 103:8–10). David understood grace and mercy, see God's Attributes. "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made." (Psalm 145:8–9).

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" (Psalm 27:14). It speaks of a positive, patient, and eager expectation of the Lord's work in our lives. It's not about sitting around hoping something will happen while doing nothing. It's about an eager anticipation. We should then be
strong in the Lord (not in ourselves) and in the strength of his might (Eph 6:10).

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you." (Psalm 55:22a
(23a in some translations)). See Psalm 55 in Forgive and You will Be Forgiven.

"Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me." (Psalm 43:3a).

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." (Psalm 56:3 (4 in some translations)). This also applies when I have put myself in a bad situation. 

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools." (Psalm 84:5–6 (6–7 in some translations)). Baca means weeping which means this is the Valley of Weeping. Blessed are those who find strength in the Lord. Their determination to find their strength in the Lord turns tragedy into triumph.

"Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!" (Psalm 100:2). "For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." (Psalm 100:5).

"The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
(Psalm 118:14).

"My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and Earth." (Psalm 121:2).

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." (Psalm 127:1a).
"The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it." 
(Proverbs 10:22). The world is chasing after wealth. But when the Lord is behind the process, there is a blessing that comes with it that isn't accompanied by problems.
Abraham and Sarah waited 25–30 years for the promise of having a child, until they took it into their own hands and Abraham had Ishmael with Sarah's slave Hagar. They ended up working this out in their own strength, power and wisdom. They did have a son, but it led to a lot of trouble at the time and to this day for the Israelites. 

"On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased."
(Psalm 138:3).

"Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely." (Psalm 141:10).

See also The Old Testament of the Bible.

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