PSALMS

“The Hymns of the Hebrews”

KEY VERSE: Psalm 95:6 – “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”

THEME: Praising the Lord through Prayer.

DATE: The time span in which the Psalms were written extends from the time of Moses, who wrote the Nineteenth Psalm about 1520 B.C., to the time of Malachi, about 420 B.C., covering 1,100 years of Israel’s history. The Psalms were collected and arranged by Ezra.

WRITER: There are 150 Psalms. Fifty of them are anonymous. DAVID wrote seventy-three. ASAPH wrote 122. KORAH wrote ten. SOLOMON wrote two. MOSES wrote one. ETHAN wrote one. HAMEN wrote one.

WRITTEN: By the Holy Spirit, of course. As a collection of hymns to be sung with a stringed instrument called a psaltry. To reveal the attributes and the sovereignty of God. To show His relationship to His people. To reveal the majesty of His law. To contrast between righteousness and wickedness.

THE BOOK: Number in Bible – 19th of 66 Books. Number of chapters: 150. Number of verses: 2,461. Number of words: 43,743. Number in order of writing: 2nd Book of Poetry.

PURPOSE: To provide a book of devotions for the Lord’s people. To communicate the heart of God. Almost every mood of the soul is expressed in the Book of Psalms. The Lord has communicated to us His entire revelation through the Psalms.

DIVISIONS: Dr. A. T. Pearson divides the Psalms into seven groups or divisions: (1) Psalms of Law, (2) Psalms of Creation, (3) Psalms of Judgment, (4) Psalms of Christ, (5) Psalms of Life, (6) Psalms of Heart, (7) Psalms of God.

FACTS: Some of the Psalms are Devotional, stressing the inward lives of the people of God and dealing with their trust in times of affliction, their sorrow for sins, their hope in sorrow, their longings in hours of distress, their quest for holiness, and their spiritual yearnings and aspirations. Some of the Psalms are Teaching Psalms, explaining the great matters of nature, the attributes of God, the works and sovereign control of Almighty God, His relationships to His people, relationships to the law, and the contrast between right and wrong. Some Psalms are Historical, describing the career of Israel, and in particular, God’s dealing with His people. Other Psalms are Prophetic, tracing, in advance, the unfolding purposes of God for the Hebrew people, the coming of the Messiah and His ministry, and also, His ultimate glory when all things are complete. Other Psalms are Intercessory, pleading with the Lord for deliverance from illness or danger. Some Psalms are Judgmental, calling on God to let His judgment fall on wickedness. Other Psalms are Exalting in nature, praising the Lord.

OUTLINE: The 150 Poems Are Divided Into Five Sections. Each Paralleling One of the Five Books of Moses in the Pentateuch. (1) The Genesis Psalms (Psalms 1-41) The key thought: God’s Counsel to Men. (2) The Exodus Psalms (Psalms 42- 72) The key thought: The Nation of Israel (3) The Levitical Psalms (Psalms 73-89) The key thought: The Temple Sanctuary (4) The Numbers Psalms (Psalms 90-106) The key thought: The Rebellion In The Wilderness (5) The Deuteronomy Psalms (Psalms 107-150) The key thought: God’s Word.

MISCELLANEOUS: The Psalms Deal With Five Subjects: (1) The Person of God, (2) The Son of God, (3) The Word of God, (4) The Works of God, (5) The People of God; The Psalms Are Grouped or Classified Into Various Sections: (1) Psalms of Instruction (Psalms 32 & 44), (2) Psalms of History (Psalms 105 & 106), (3) Psalms of Adoration (Psalms 8 & 29), (4) Psalms of Confession (Psalm 51), (5) Psalms of Thanksgiving (Psalm 18), (6) Psalms of Supplication (Psalm 26), (7) Psalms of Prophecy (Psalms 2, 16 & 22), (8) Psalms of Penitence (Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 & 143), (9) Psalms of Judgment (Cursing) (Psalms 109 & 140).

PRACTICAL VALUE: It is suited to the human heart. There is no experience of the human heart or life that does not find its counterpart in the Book of Psalms. It reflects every mood of man: (1) Sets forth to us models of devotion. (2) Teaches truth in terms of human experience. (3) Reveals the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Significance of Musical Terms: “Meginoth” (Psalms 4 and 6) Refers to the music of stringed instruments. “Sheminith” (Psalms 6 and 12) conveys the idea of the musical octave. “Shiggaion” (Psalm 7) suggests a wild, exuberant praise. “Gittith” (Psalms 8 and 81) means wine presses and gives reference to vintage hymns. “Michtam” (Psalms 32 and 42) means instruction or teaching. “Geduthun” (Psalm 39) this is the name of the chief singer among the Levites. His name means “praising.” The word “Selah,” which occurs seventy times in the Psalms, is not primarily a musical term. It means to “pause” or “look up for meditation.” In His dying statements on the Cross, Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 and Psalm 31:5 (See Matthew 27:46; Luke 23:46; Luke 24:44). W. E. Gladstone said, “All the wonders of Greek civilization heaped together are less wonderful than is this simple Book of the Psalms.”                                                                Dr Tom Wallace

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