Psalms

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Psalms

• Myron G. Heavin

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PsalmsKey Ideas

• Recognition of the kingship and sovereignty of
  God
• Conduct and destiny of the righteous and the
  wicked
• Gods comfort and defense in times of crisis
• Importance of praise in all of its variations
• Role of nature and creation.

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PsalmsBackground Information

• Hebrew Praises
• LXX Songs
• Prayers of David (Psalm 9220)
• There is a Psalm for almost every emotion
• Written and edited over 1000 years
• Moses to just before Christ (final form)

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PsalmsComposition

• Book I 1-41
• Book II 42-72
• Book III 73-89
• Book IV 90-106
• Book V 107-150
• There is a seam (Transition) at start and end
  of each book
• Books tend to follow history of Israel

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PsalmsOutline

• Introduction (1-2)
• Davids Conflict with Saul (3-41)
• Davids Kingdom (42-72)
• The Assyrian Crisis (73-89)
• Introspection about Temple Destruction Exile
  (90-106)
• Praise Reflection on Return New Era (107-145)
• Concluding Praise (146-150)

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PsalmsIntroduction (1-2)

• Psalm 1 (Individual)
• Introduces Principal of Retribution
• Vindication of the righteous, Punishment of the
  wicked
• Psalm 2 (National)
• God has chosen Israelite King will defend him
• Messianic
• National Aspect parallels individual aspect of 1
• Individual and National interests merge into
  David
• Psalm 1 starts Psalm 2 ends with a blessing

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PsalmsComposition

• Poetry is designed to affect the reader
• Helps the reader/hearer to remember and reflect
• Great at communicating emotion, not info.
• Parallelism

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PsalmsParallelism (Psalm 2 Example)
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PsalmsQuoted in New Testament Psalm 2 Example

• Psalms describe an Old Testament situation
• New Testament quotes Psalms as factual data
• New Testament interprets or applies Psalms in a
  Messianic light.

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PsalmsSpeaks to Old Testament Situation,
Sometimes applies to New Testament

• 8 Example
• Describes Old Testament man head of creation
• Applicable to Jesus (Hebrews 26-8)
• 126 Example
• Describes exiles returning from captivity
• Desert streams overflow in spring rains
• Applicable to 1st coming of Jesus

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PsalmsCantata About Davidic Covenant
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PsalmsPrincipal of Retribution

• Major Old Testament (OT) theme
• Israelites looked to rewards in this life
• God would punish the wicked in this life
• Limited OT beliefs in eternal life
• Psalm 1, 5, 37, 52, 53, 59, 128, 129
• Proverbs 18-19 21-22 12
• Job 311-15 338-18 3410-15
• Ecclesiastes 311-22 another facet

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PsalmsKingship (Royal Psalms)

• 2, 144
• 18 Victory Celebration (2 Samuel 221-51)
• 20 Plea for favor 21 Thanksgiving for victories
• 45 Wedding praise
• II Samuel 8-17 (Davidic Covenant)
• 89 Plea for restoration of Davidic kings (seam)
• 72 Transfer throne and benefits to descendents
• Isa. 543, 8, 10
• 132 Celebration of divine election of Zion
• 101, 110 is most quoted OT literature in NT
• Most messianic Psalm
• 22 Seems to describe Christ on the cross.

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PsalmsNature and Creation

• 8 - Humanity head of all creation
• Hebrews 26-8 gives this role to Jesus
• 19 - Creation reveals glory of God
• 29, 65 God controls forces of nature
• 104 Creator God maintains order in His creation
• Proverbs 822-31 - describes creation
• Job 265-14 28 - describes creation

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PsalmsSalvation

• Habakkuk 24 The Righteous will live by faith
• Genesis 156 Abraham saved by righteousness
• 27, 3119-24, 32 The Lord hides us from the
  world
• 40 The Lord desires my heart, deliver me
• 41 The Lord helps the helpless
• Seam Psalm ending Book 1
• 46 The Lord is our refuge and strength
• 50 Requirements for salvation
• 66 The Lord saved us
• 103, 107 The Lord saves the righteous
  eternally

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PsalmsPsalm 51

• David had committed adultry, murder
• Prayed for forgiveness
• Take not thy Holy Spirit from me
• Grew up in Sauls palace, played harp to soothe
  Sauls spirit.
• Remembered how God removed Spirit from Saul
• NT teaches once saved, always saved.
• God took spiritual gift of administration from
  Saul

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PsalmsSalvation History

• Like rowing a boat look back to go forward
• 44 God once favored us, we suffer now!
• 95 Wandering in Wilderness
• Could never enter Gods Rest (Canaan / 7th day)
• 105 Not one promise of God failed
• 106 Not one covenant obeyed by Israel
• 107 God shows lovingkindness to undeserving
  Israel

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Psalms Salvation History Psalm 44 (Korah)

• First Corporate prayer in the Psalms (follows 42,
  43)
• Testimony of the ancestors (1-3)
• drove out the peoples planted the Israelites
  favored them
• God has helped us in the past by (4-8)
• Push back adversaries God wins victories, not
  our arms
• Description of present suffering (9-16)
• Rejected us Scattered us amongst the nations
• A reproach to our neighbors, a laughingstock
  among the peoples
• We are innocent, we keep your covenant (17-22)
• A plea for deliverance why do you sleep? (23-26)

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Psalms Salvation History Psalm 95 (David)

• O Come, Sing for joy to the Lord
• Come, let us worship and bow down
• Today, Do not harden your hearts as the
  Israelites did
• They erred in their hearts
• They did not know His ways
• God was angry for 40 years
• They shall not enter My rest (The Promised Land)
• (Our rest today is the seventh day) (Hebrews
  43-11)

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Psalms Salvation History Psalm 105

• Oh, give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name
• He remembered His everlasting covenant with
  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
• Canaan was an eternal but conditional covenant
• Gen 121-3 1719, 2813-15 Luke 172-73
• He protected them from their enemies
• He protected them when they forgot Him
• The Mosaic Covenant was conditional (Ex 195-6)
• He chose them, they never chose Him.
• Only God had righteous deeds, they never did
• People today are chosen by God we sin on.

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Psalms Salvation History Psalm 106

• Praise the Lord, O give thanks for He is good!
• We have sinned like our fathers
• Egypt but He was faithful anyway
• Golden Calf, but He was faithful anyway
• They despised the land, but He was faithful
  anyway.
• They mingled with the nations, learned their
  gods but He was faithful anyway.
• They abandoned Him over and over, but He was
  faithful anyway because of His eternal covenant.
• Save us, O God, and gather us from the nations

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Psalms Salvation History Psalm 107

• Oh, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
• He saved them due to His lovingkindness
• They forgot God
• They got into trouble
• They cried out to the Lord
• He saved them
• They were never deserving, God was always
  faithful.
• We are truly undeserving, God is always faithful
  to us (Romans 1117-21)

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PsalmsWisdom

• Usually begin/teach with How Blessed
• 1, 32, 49
• Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom
• (Prov. 17 910)
• Wisdom is found in the streets - (Prov. 120-21,
  81-11)
• The World was created by Wisdom (Prov. 319-20)
• The Commendation of Wisdom (Prov. 822-31)
• World created by His word (Psalm 33)
• Proverbs 1, 2
• Proverbs 31-10

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PsalmsMeditation

• Thought ?Deed ? Habit ? What you become
• Keeps Gods Truth Before Us
• Gets Gods Truth into our hearts
• Helps us later recall Gods truth
• Helps us see the larger picture reality,
  purpose, and goodness are part of reality
• A reverent act of worship (Holman Bible
  Dictionary)
• To murmur a low sound
• To be occupied with

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PsalmsMeditation Exercise on Psalm 274-6

• One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I
  shall seek
• That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
  the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the
  Lord and to meditate in His temple.
• For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in
  His tabernacle
• In the secret place of His tent He will hide me
• He will lift me up on a rock.

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PsalmsMeditation Exercise on Psalm 274-6

• One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I
  shall seek
• That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
  the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the
  Lord and to meditate in His temple.
• For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in
  His tabernacle
• In the secret place of His tent He will hide me
• He will lift me up on a rock.

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PsalmsMeditation Exercise on Psalm 274-6

• One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I
  shall seek
• That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
  the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the
  Lord and to meditate in His temple.
• For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in
  His tabernacle
• In the secret place of His tent He will hide me
• He will lift me up on a rock.

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PsalmsMeditation Exercise on Psalm 274-6

• One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I
  shall seek
• That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
  the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the
  Lord and to meditate in His temple.
• For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in
  His tabernacle
• In the secret place of His tent He will hide me
• He will lift me up on a rock.

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PsalmsMeditation Exercise on Psalm 274-6

• One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I
  shall seek
• That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
  the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the
  Lord and to meditate in His temple.
• For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in
  His tabernacle
• In the secret place of His tent He will hide me
• He will lift me up on a rock.

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PsalmsMeditation

• Psalm 27
• Confidence in Yahweh against the enemy (1-3)
• Desire to dwell in the House of Yahweh (4-6)
• Plea for deliverance (7-12)
• Confidence and encouragement (13-14)
• Psalm 371-11
• What does it mean to trust God?
• Focus on God not my problems
• Psalm 111-112 Focus on God to become more like
  him

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PsalmsThe Law

• 1 Importance of the Law
• Law is Strategically placed throughout the Psalms
• Law refers to
• Torah (first 5 books)
• Wisdom literature throughout Scripture (Psalms)
• Gods Laws of Nature, relationships etc. (Dr.
  Curtis)
• Psalm 119 Longest Psalm

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Psalms The Law Psalm 19 Revealed Order of God

• In the Heavens (191-4b)
• The all-seeing sun (194c-6)
• The Law is perfect, sure, right, pure, warns
  (does not save.) (197-11)
• Human response (1912-14)

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Psalms The Law Mosaic Covenant Laws for the
Israelites

• Civil Law Laws to govern a nation
• The Alien Leviticus 1933-34
• An eye for an eye Leviticus 2417-23
• Moral Law Laws telling us what is right and
  wrong
• The Ten Commandments (except for 4th)
• Idolatry forbidden - Leviticus 191-8
• Adultry forbidden Leviticus 2010-12
• Ceremonial Law Laws for ceremonies
• Leviticus 81-10
• 4th Commandment

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Psalms The Law Mosaic Covenant Wholly
Conditional

• Israel broke it (Jer. 3132. Heb. 89)
• Christ bore the curse of the law and taken it
  out of the way, having nailed it to the cross
  (Col 214, Heb. 10-9)
• Its glory fades away compared to new covenant (2
  Cor 37-11)
• New Covenant supercedes (Heb. 87-13)
• Eternal moral laws continue, but not as a unified
  Mosaic Covenant (Gal. 310-14)
• Given by angels due to mans sin. (Gal 315-19)

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PsalmsLaments

• 38 A Lament of David
• 63 A Lament of David
• Fleeing from Saul (11)
• Fleeing from Absalom
• No Requests
• 42-43 Goes with 63
• He lets himself go
• He makes himself think
• He pulls himself together and praises God
• Over 1/3 of Psalms are Lament Psalms

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PsalmsThanksgiving and Praise

• Thanksgiving often follows lament
• 116 - Recollection of the past
• Public Prayers and Vows
• Good Idea
• 145, 146 Pure Praise Psalms
• 23 The Lord is My Shepherd